3 Day All Natural Veggie and Fruit Cleanse- Enjoy!!

A night out eating processed food or tasty cold beers on a patio can leave you feeling sluggish and tired. If this sounds like you, try revitalizing your body with  a quick 3 day all natural juice and veggie cleanse. 

A  cleanse made with veggies and fruit can infuse your body with essential nutrients and minerals your body needs to feel energized without the need to purchase expensive detox pills and diets. The one I set out below can be completed in as little as 3 days or up to 7 days. If you have never done a detox, I recommend starting with 3 day cleanse.  

Here is how to do it:  

Day 1-3

Step 1:  Squeeze the juice from the lemon in a hot cup of water and drink upon rising.  Wait one hour until breakfast. 

Step 2: One hour later, follow with a breakfast smoothie of either fruit, veggies or both. You can blend your favorite vegetables and fruits together. I love adding spinach to all my smoothies. My favorite smoothie is strawberries,  grapefruit, a quarter banana  and spinach blended together with a few ice cubes and water. 

Step 3: Lunch and dinner  is the same as step 2. Fruit or veggies smoothie of your choice. 

Day 4- Begin to introduce protein powder in your breakfast, lunch and dinner  shakes. 

Day 5- Slowly introduce unprocessed foods such as chicken, fish, quinoa, steamed veggies and salad with light dressing on Day 5. 

Important Notes: 

If at anytime your feeling hungry, feel free to snack on vegetables  or fruit. You can opt for a salad, no dressing. For taste, squeeze lemon. 

Drink lots of water to flush out your body. Recommended intake is 6-8 cups a daily.

If you're a coffee or tea drinker like I am, this means absolutely no coffee/tea for the duration of the cleanse. 

For a 7 day cleanse follow steps 1-3 (in day 1-3 above) for 5 days. On day 6, introduce protein powder to your smoothies your breakfast, lunch and dinner shakes. On day 7, you can slowly introduce unprocessed foods such as fish, chicken and salad.  

Enjoy & stay charged!!!

Meal of the day by Foodee Project

 As some of you may have noticed, I just added the Foodee Project to my blog. You're probably asking, what in the world is Foodee Project? Well, its a site collection of incredible paleo recipes all in one accessible place for all you nutrition and cross fit junkies. Yeah, you know who you are. Yep, you!! You're reading my blog aren't you?!

So where do the recipes comes from? Well, they come from all over the globe who have delicious and healthy recipes to share that are paleo approved which are then shared on the Foodee Project wesbite. If you cant pronounce the ingredients then chances are its not part of a paleo meal plan. Thus, not on the website. After all, paleo recipes are only made with all natural ingredients that you can pronounce.

A neat feature found on the website, is a grocery list that allows you to find a recipe, add it to your shopping list and send it to your smart phone via email. Makes browsing the aisles and planning so much easier! Speaking of planning, the site also has a tool to customize your serving size using the sidebar found on the site when you log. It recalculates the recipe according to the number of people you plan to cook for. Cool eh?

If you are a nutrition junkie and have your own recipe, you can submit it to the site and share with  other nutrition junkies like you and I. You never know, maybe it will land on my page under "meal of the day," which  you will now daily on my blog. So come back and visit my blog for the daily meal of the day. In fact, I see a great recipe I will make tomorrow on the Foodee Project website- halibut with fresh tomato and avocado. Looks delish!!

Quick and easy organic almond & peanut butter oatmeal protein bars

- ¼ cup unsweetened chopped coconut

-2 cups of oats

-¼ cup unsweetened organic almond milk. You can add more depending on the consistency but the goal is to have a thick batter to make the bars. I prefer almond milk over regular milk because it allows you to keep the bars out longer without spoiling if you’re on the go, its less sugar and its lactose free.

-¼ cup of your choice of dried fruit. I like to add cranberries

-¼ cup chopped almonds or walnuts

-¼ cup of unsweetened chocolate chips

-dash of cinnamon

- table spoon of flax seed

-2 table spoons of almond butter or peanut butter (your choice) I like to use 1 table spoon of almond butter and 1 table spoon of peanut better

 -1 cups Sun Warrior of  raw vegan protein powder or protein of your choice.

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and remember you can add more milk if you need too.

2. Pat the batter in pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. And voila- homemade protein bars. 

I like to top mine off with a very fine amount of coconut before refrigerating. 

You can change the recipe and add whatever dried fruits and nuts you like. If you don’t like cranberries then don’t add them, add raisins.  If you like walnuts, then add those too.  If you only like peanut butter, then only add peanut butter. If you don’t like almond milk, use soy. Catch my drift?! You can play around with the recipe and make it your own. As long as you have the base, the oats, milk and almond/peanut butter, the rest is up to you. It’s easy. Try it. It only took me 10 minutes to make the bars. 

Now you can think twice about buying packaged oat bars in the grocery store!

Guilt Free All Natural Delicious Cookies

I came across a cookie today, a delicious one indeed, that caught my attention and encouraged me to post on my blog. As some of you know, I’m always on a mission to source good, healthy and all natural snacks. Who says that snacks need to be made with junk in order to taste yummy?

It’s a typical day at the office. Busy, running around, meetings and servicing clients. Sometimes, I’m found working away on my computer for hours at a time and Baaaammm, a snack craving kicks in. Oh oh...what can I snack on thats healthy and of course saticfying? Surely, I can take the elevator to the 53 floor and make a stop to the vending machine. Kit Kats, ketchup chips, doritos, granola bars loaded with sugar, salted peanuts or cola. Hmmmm... my taste buds are just not giving in to snacks packed with sugar, sugar substitutes, salt and ingredients that I can’t even pronounce. I head back down stairs to the nearest shops browsing around for something tasty, natural and something I could snack on. In and out of stores, I come across every snack one could find except one that contains natural ingredients and ones that I am familar with. Typical when shopping for healthy junk food. Or maybe not....

I walk into a Second Cup to order an Americano and right before my eyes I see these delicious homemade cookies, Rivi's Guilt Free Cookies. Label says, Guilt Free. Wow...interesting. As we all know, natural can mean so many things. One or two ingredients and its sold on the shelves as natural or organic. I pick up the package and read further.... too good to be true. Dairy & nut free & made without butter, margarine or oil. Wait this gets better. Preservative free, no artificial colouring or flavouring, no trans-fat and MADE WITH ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS. Untreated flour, sugar cane, baking powder, cocoa, egg whites, prunes, apple sauce & sea salt. Where are the rest of the ingredients? That’s it?! That all?! Lets give this a try. Oatmeal & Raisin, Chocolate, Ginger & Spice or Lemon. Decisions, decisions. Let’s go with chocolate. I took my first bite into the cookie and already I wanted more. A layer of chunky chocolate right down the middle. It was Delicious!!!! Soft!! All Natural!!! Low Calorie!! Less than 4 grams of sugar!!! Wholesome!! Filling!!! And Healthy!!! Just my style!!! In fact, I think I’m going to eat one right now. I urge you to try one next time you’re craving something sweet to kick back with your morning or afternoon coffee (as I did). They can be found at various locations from a Second Cup, to Whole Foods, Kitchen Table, Healthy Planet or Pusateris Fine Foods, just to name a few.

You will not be disappointed.

Funnies!!!!!

I was recently introduced to a blog called Hyperboyle and a half. It is the funniest blog I have come across in a really long time. What a great blog. If you are in need of a good chuckle, a smile or had a really bad day, I strongly recommend that you log on to Hyperboyle and a half and read on. I guarantee you will laugh-its that funny.

Did you know:

• 100 laughs is equivalent to 15 minutes of cardio on a bike
• Laughing release endorphins that have pain relieving properties that are similar to morphine
• 15 muscles contract in our face when we laugh
• Laughing exercises the diaphragm and contracts muscles in our abs for a good belly workout
• Laughing reduces stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine and dopamine
• The average person laughs 13 times a day

Smile:)

CrossFit Challenge

Before I begin this blog entry, I’d like to address that I haven’t written in awhile due to a new job, moving and a few changes that had me busy for awhile. Albeit, it’s no excuse and I will write more often. This being said, despite not writing, I haven't stopped searching for latest nutritional products, working out or participating in new classes like the CrossFit challenge that a friend of mine introduced me to. And on this note, let me tell you about this great new class I found this summer.

A friend of mine, recently introduced me to a new fitness regime called CrossFit. A true testament of what fitness is all about. A regime that is widely used by police academies, tactical operation teams, military special operations units, martial artists, and athletes. What I experienced in this class was vastly different than what I had been use to. Such as traditional workout routines like, running, weight training, reps, sets, rest and fancy gyms. Rather, this class was held in a garage with a gym like setting. I kid you not. It was actually pretty cool. There was sponge floor, people doing sprints, hammering big old tires with sludge hammers, doing pull ups and chin ups, climbing ropes and doing burpees and they were all writing reps, sets and times on white boards. For those that know me, I’m the typical “I can do it no problem kind of girl.” I’m always up for a challenge. When I attended my first class, I immediately looked at my friend and said, “pshhh, NO PROBLEMO, I can do this.” I dropped my water bottle and mp3 and asked, “where do I start?” So we started…. with what I thought was a workout but to my dismay, it was only the beginning of a warm up…

Lets fast forward a bit to one rainy Saturday to which I thought, cool, a day of rest. But nope, rise and shine and a wakeup call, we all headed to a soccer field and were given a workout program. In one hour, we all completed as many burpees, lunges, sprints and clapping push ups as possible around a mile track-in the rain. I was smack up against the pavement in puddles of water and dirt as I exploded onto the floor for my last push up. At the end of the class, I was lying flat on the grass, soaked, dirty, out of breath and my muscles feeling like rubber. And, I felt like I had the best workout.

I think it’s worth mentioning that when I started, I had a shoulder injury from playing tennis. However, it was quickly rehabilitated after a few classes. I believe it healed as a result of numerous CrossFit classes that strengthened my shoulder muscles. The instructor was great at tailoring each class for individuals with any injuries. I’m happy to say that after I attended a series of classes, I have yet to feel any pain since then. Thanks Chris!

Now, the in on what is CrossFit for those of you that don’t know. I want to start by telling you what Crossfit is not. It is not about specializing as traditional workout routines suggest. Example; isolating muscle groups and working out triceps and biceps on one day and a long stroll for 60 minutes on a treadmill. Rather, it makes use of three different models to ensure the broadest and most general fitness possible. Overall, becoming well rounded and the best at everything. Believe it, it is possible.

CrossFit adheres to three standards and each model is critical and distinct in evaluating overall fitness of an individual or athlete. The three models/standards that make up CrossFit are set below:

1. Ten Physical Skills: One develops and improves their fitness to the extent that it improves each of these ten skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.

2. Fitness is about performing at ones best at all tasks and in varying combinations encouraging one to disinvest in rests periods, sets, reps and routine. Every day of training is different.

3. CrossFit requires competency and training in three metabolic pathways. Excluding one of these pathways and not recognizing the importance of these three metabolic engines is arguably a common fault in fitness training.

1. Phosphagen: highest powered activities that last about ten seconds

2. Glycolytic: moderate powered activities that last up to several minutes

3. Oxidative: low powered activities that last in excess of several minutes.

*note: phosphagen and glycolytic pathways are known as anaerobic and oxidative is aerobic.

Have you ever noticed the physiques of the athletes who sprint (majority of training time spent in anaerobic activity) versus long distance runners (time spent in aerobic training)? The difference you’re sure to notice. In a CrossFit Class, conditioning also known as cardio, consist of interval training. Why? Because it is the most effective way without compromising the loss of speed, power and strength as you would performing activity categorized at an aerobic level. Just to back up a bit, aerobic activity (low powered efforts), although effective in losing body fat and required in many sports, contributes to a decrease in muscle mass, strength and speed. Anaerobic activity (explosive efforts), also a very effective fat blaster, is the most effective in dramatically improving speed, power and strength. It is said that anaerobic activity can be used to develop a very high level of aerobic fitness without comprising muscle loss. Having said this, CrossFit combines the two into interval training which is based on mixing bout of work and rest in timed intervals.

Overall, CrossFit combines all the critical elements of models 1-3 described above and molds men and woman into a gymnast, olympic weightlifter and sprinters. After many classes, I felt energetic, fit, flexible and toned. If you are looking at changing things up a bit at the gym and want different results than what you are getting now, try a CrossFit class. I guarantee you will enjoy your workouts and have a new outlook on fitness because of the results it yields, the challenge you undertake, the confidence you build and how fun it is.

* Classes were done at CrossFit Markham

Two Great All Natural Protein Powders

I was on a search recently for a great tasting vegan protein powder and came across "Harmonized Vegan Protein" by Progressive Nutritional. After all the vegan protein powders I've tasted and have come across in my search for an "all natural" vegan protein powder, I think this is a great pick. The protein contains a blend of 5 non-GMO vegetarian proteins: peas, organic sprouted brown rice, organic hemp,cranberry and chia protein. As you can see, the company tries to include as many organic ingredients as possible. It is free of artificial ingredients and has essential and non essential fatty acids, EFA's, minerals and vitamins. As for the sweetening effect, it has stevia rather than aspartame or other artificial sweeteners commonly found in most protein powders. It tastes great and contains a whooping 25g of protein per 35g. Overall, it is a great source of protein for people looking to increase their protein intake but wanting to avoid an animal or dairy based diet.

Opting for a dairy based protein powder? Well, Progressive Nutritional has "Harmonized Protein" containing five quality New Zealand sourced proteins. So what is New Zealand based protein? It is the cleanest and purest form of protein in the world and is highly recommended by Naturopathic doctors. New Zealand protein is derived from cattle that is free of hormones, including rBGH, screened for 250 chemical and agricultural contaminants & free of antibiotics. The protein powder contains no artificial sweeteners and flavors, has 24g of protein per 30g and has organic mineralized sea vegetables, which are known for their alkalizing effect and trace mineral content. Last but not least it tastes great. It is a great blend with various fruits and vegetables such as spinach, kale and carrots. Or just give it a shake with your favorite juice, milk or water and off you go.

All Progressive Nutritional products are also certified by a Naturopathic doctor who is involved in the development of all the products. The next time you are out shopping for protein powder, I would certainly give this brand a try. My two personal favorites based on natural ingredients, organic ingredients, purity, digestion, non-GMO, source, the amount of protein per scoop and of course taste.