High Tea

Hello all, I know, I know I have been MIA. To be honest I just haven't been feeling nutritionally creative lately. Meals have been boring, predictable but still healthy, for the most part.  This past weekend however, I had such an amazing opportunity and am feeling inspired again.

On Saturday I was invited by a friend of mine to go to high tea at Langdon hall in Cambridge, ON.  We did this to celebrate the newest addition to her family, she is due in a couple of weeks! The food was amazing, not healthy per say, but it was beautiful, tasty and meant to be shared. Langdon Hall was stunning. We were sat in the "Red Room". According to our server this room was built for the ladies to sit in after dinner; It was designed in such a way that the acoustics forced the ladies to whisper. Someone born with my loud voice was never meant to sit in such a room.

Above: Langdon  hall

The Red Room

My tea: I ordered a citrus vanilla tea... yum

This entire two tiered platter was made for me! Dairy free and everything.

This was the regular platter; looked amazing! 

Now time to get back to creative nutrition!

Ta... 

Renoville

Right now I am living in the town of Renoville. We are currently putting new flooring in our upstairs. Although I am very excited, I want it to be over!!! The house chaos has meant throw together dinners and little creativity in the kitchen. Having said that, I ran across a recipe for a gluten free, sugar free, dairy free bread. My favourite part about this bread is that it is very high protein and high fibre, so unlike other breads it keeps you full. The recipe can be found here.
This bread makes a great snack. 

I made my own almond meal by blending almonds in the food processor.

I topped mine with almond butter, chia seed and a little dribble of honey. 

Birthday fun!

Last week was my birthday week and as usual Andrew ensured that it was full of celebration. On my actual birthday we went and saw...

I bawled!!!! I highly recommend this movie, however, if you are prone to crying wait until it comes out on video. Seriously people I was swallowing my sobs as tears streamed down my face. Andrew thought maybe it wasn't the best choice for a birthday film!

Other birthday festivities included...

Bowling!!! It was my first time 10 pin bowling; I need some practice

We visited some bead stores in Toronto. I left with a little bag of goodies to get my craft on!

Shellac manicure. Attention ladies if you haven't tried Shellac manicures yet get on it! They last for 14 days without chipping. Bonus: they are really shiny too.

And lastly wine, lots of wine... 

Sweet potato salad dressing

I am in love!!! With a new dressing. See below...

On Sunday night I went to my sisters house for dinner. I was cursing myself for not brining my camera; she had a beautiful spread for building our own salads. Although the nephews weren't too fond of it us adults loved it. In an attempt to recreate it, on a smaller scale, I made my own salad bar spread. The new addition to salad bar you ask? The most amazing vegetable based dressing! Although it may not look that special in photographs I promise you it is amazing! ... and healthy!

Making the dressing

Super easy, super quick in the food processor

salad options

Protein 

fresh veggies

Sweet potato dressing

                                                 the finished product topped with pumpkin seeds

You can find the recipe here. I made the following changes: all sweet potato, no butternut squash, 1 Tbs of EVOO instead of 3, added 2 extra Tbs of water. 

I would also consider decreasing the amount of balsamic vinaigrette next time I make it, which will be very soon. 

What I am reading Wednesday

Why didn't anyone tell me that The Hunger Games is seriously addicting. I am now on book 2 and should finish it today. I am sooooooo looking forward to the movie coming out. Have you watched the trailer yet?

I am still reading the book on emotional eating. This book is very insightful. Although it is told from the author's perspective, she manages to capture alternative viewpoints by telling other people's stories alongside her own. 

One chapter I found interesting and probably very applicable to many was a chapter about when to stop eating. When is enough, enough? Can you be satisfied without stuffing yourself?


When to stop eating: 
1.) You need to ask yourself if you are truly hungry before you start eating.
2.) Pay close attention to what you feel is "enough". The author suggests that you test yourself by changing the amount you eat at each meal over a couple of weeks. Let yourself feel what "full" feels like, what "stuffed" feels like, and what just enough feels like. We don't often take the time to know what these sensations are. The author also suggests that the difference between being hungry and having "enough" can be the difference of a bite or two.


Personally, I think it will take time to learn what enough is. Many of us grew up in homes where we were told "enough" was when we cleaned our plates; or were told enough was when we ate 5 more bites before we could leave the table. We weren't taught to listen to our bodies. I wonder if we slowly forget that our bodies do tell us when enough is enough.


3.)Once you have decided to stop eating push your plate away, have a waiter come and take it, or take it to the kitchen. Don't let your good decision be ruined by unconscious picking at the end of the meal.


These are all helpful little tidbits that everyone should use. The fact of the matter is we all over eat from time to time.


Alright now back to my addicting book....

Big Green

Yesterday was a dull and dreary day in Ontario. This morning I say WELCOME SNOW! Snow you are pretty, powdery and make for a better backdrop than mud, therefore you can stay. With the turn of the new year and trying to improve my health I have my eyes set on all things green! Earlier this week I visited my favourite health food store in Waterloo to load up on some produce.

The result... BIG GREEN SALADS! yum.

This salad is packed with nutrients and really easy to make.

The big green: 
Cut up any green veggies you want I went for cucumbers, broccoli, and snap peas.
1 bowl of rinsed greens (spinach, mixed greens or both)
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup of edamame prepared as per packaging
1 tbs chia seeds (optional)

Dressing:
1 Avocado
1/4 lemon juiced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic

Add avocado, lemon juice, evoo, and garlic to blender. Blend on medium until it is nice and creamy. In a small bowl mix together quinoa, edamame, chia seeds and dressing. Top your big bowl of green goodness with your quinoa dressing mixture and enjoy!

I also tried to make another dish which photographed nicely but the taste just wasn't what I wanted. I will keep working on it!

What I am reading Wednesday

Although I didn't really make any New Years resolutions, I am hoping to read more this year. For the first time in a long time I have time to read what I want, when I want. Of course, I also have goals for what I am trying to read; I am Jen after all.  To get me going, I wanted to find a quick, fun read; hence the pick below:

I am about halfway through this. It's fast paced, inventive and easy to follow.

The second book I am reading right now is more on the health/nutrition topic. As seen below:

So why did I chose this one? Do I think that I am an emotional eater? Well, I think we all are emotional eaters from time to time. In fact, I am even more convinced of this after reading the first couple of chapters. I also believe that as women, with our monthly hormonal changes, we are more susceptible to emotional eating.

So what are the BIG IDEAS:
1.) Eat when you are hungry. This is easier said than done. Sometimes we forget what it feels like to be hungry. Is our brain telling us we are hungry because we are walking by our favourite bakery or are we actually physically hungry. This chapter describes peoples' fears when it comes to "finding" their hunger. People fear testing and waiting until they get hungry because they fear they will never feel hungry. They also fear they will miss out on some great food, they may get the sensation of feeling empty when hungry, they wont know what physical hunger feels like and may confuse it with emotional hunger. If you are really struggling with this, the author suggests delaying a normal meal time to find what hunger really feels like. You will eventually feel hungry, science promises this.

2.) Distracted eating: 
We live in a fast paced environment these days and often eat while in the car, walking or standing in front of the fridge. Eating like this can cause you to be unsatisfied with your "meal" and cause you to continue to graze afterwards. The author outlines some simple and not so simple guidelines to follow to help your meals be more satisfying.
1.) Eat in full view of spouse, roommate, friends, kids, etc
2.) Eat when you are sitting down
3.) Eat without distractions: tv, reading, computer etc.
4.) When you eat do so in a comfortable environment
5.) Avoid emotional conversations when eating.

That is as far as I have gotten so far, however, I am sure I will finish this book by weeks end. If you feel you have a problem with emotional eating this is a great read.