Category: FUN

Anything to do with fun & enjoyment

FUN

Health MATTERS – What about Frozen foods?

frozen1 Not ALL frozen food is bad.

 Even though it’s home to ice cream and many other convenience foods, don’t race past the frozen-food section thinking it’s filled with only unhealthy foods.  Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great alternative to fresh.  If they’re flash-frozen at their peak, they retain their nutrients.  A neighbour picked fresh wild blueberries last summer and we quickly froze them at their peak and have used them regularly throughout the winter in smoothies & desserts like winter fruit crumble.frozen2

Wild caught frozen fish and shrimp are alright too if sodium levels are low and they haven’t been breaded.

 As for frozen pizzas, yes, they are quick, but usually one sixth of this kind of pizza contains 40 percent of your daily sodium, and 20 percent of your fat!  How many of us can eat just one sixth of this pizza?  Instead, buy fresh or frozen whole-wheat crusts or dough, and add your own healthy toppings.  That way, you control the amount of cheese and meats you use.

It’s hard to eat healthy all the time because people work and everyone has a different schedule.  It is possible though if you go for lean meats, and buy organic or free-range if you can afford it.  Boost the flavour of lean meats with rubs and marinades.  “Free-range” means they have had room to move around, as opposed to factory animals kept in closed conditions.  Organic means they haven’t been treated with antibiotics or hormones.

Carefully reading through labels in the frozen food section will help you choose what you need, and as long as you’re not eating from this section all the time, you should be just fine.  A bit of frozen (like peas, for instance) is totally acceptable.  Remember, balance is key.

some sauces & soups are good.
some frozen sauces & soups are very good

 

 

 

 How many of us have succumbed to trying the new & improved selection of frozen pizzas? Guilty!

FUN

Personally……I wish I went to WOOFstock 

woofstock2Not only because I never went to Woodstock, but because this sounds soooo much better. People and Pooches in the Florida Keys…………..a true Dog Day Afternoon.Keys Woofstock

A Day of Peace Paws & Music – try topping that!

Islamorada (CBSMiami) – Thousands of dog lovers, many with their pooches, enjoyed a day of peace, paws and music during the weekend Woofstock Music Fair in the Florida Keys .

woofstock4Singers, songwriters and musical groups kept the groove moving for the Saturday festival’s nearly 1,000 four-legged friends and more than 5,000 two-legged attendees. The event was staged at Islamorada’s Founders Park.

Dogs up for adoption showed off their swag and wag during the Rescue Me Mutt Strut with hopes of landing a “fur-ever” home from Florida Keys shelters and breed-specific animal rescue groups of South Florida.

Other canines showed off agility and dock-jumping skills to woo crowds.

Woofstock was organized by Key Largo’s MarrVelous Pet Rescues & Adoptions. The free event is one of the Keys’ largest pet-friendly festivals devoted to pet fostering, adoption, education and wellness, underscored by outdoor family fun and live music in the island community.

Right on!
Right on!

The Florida Keys News Bureau contributed to this report.

 

 Ahhh…I loved the Keys before – I love it now even  more.

FUN

Simply Satisfying – Vegan Chocolate Chip / Coconut Cookies

20140321_121356These vegan friendly cookies are yummy enough for non-vegans too.  They do not include the usual suspects (dairy such as  butter, or eggs) nor refined sugar and all-purpose flour that are commonly used to make cookies.

 

They include:

1 cup instant oatmeal (or rolled oats)

½ cup coconut flour

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. fine seasalt

Sprinkling of ground Cinnamon (about ¼ – ½ tsp.)

¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used organic dark cane)

1/3 cup canola oil

¼ cup almond milk (I used the unsweetened version)

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or 1 ½ tsp. & ½ tsp. of almond extract)

½ cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips (like Sunspire – veganstore.com)

½ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

Note: For my first batch I used a combo of Ghirardelli milk & semi-sweet chocolate chips that were on hand.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together oatmeal (or oats), pastry flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon & seasalt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, almond milk, vanilla (or combo of vanilla & almond extract); pour mixture into the batter and stir until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and coconut flakes.

For each cookie, drop 1 Tbsp. (or 2 Tbsp. for bigger cookies) of dough 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets.  Note: Some of the dough might fall apart as you try to drop it – just roll it in your hands a little to shape it before putting it back on the sheet.  It will still bake okay.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Let them cool slightly before moving them to a plate or tray.  ENJOY these delicious guilt free cookies.

You can try substituting peanut butter instead of the coconut flakes or even adding a bit of natural peanut butter to the mix.  I haven’t tried this yet but it definitely sounds good.

Do you have a great vegan cookie recipe you’d like to share?

 

 

FUN

style: the ART of dressing

ARTALLURE2 - Copy

ARTALLURE2 - Copy (2)DOES THE ART WEAR YOU or DO YOU WEAR THE ART?

Crossing the line between fashion and art becomes more blurred when we look to the current examples of how fashion is presented, evident on the Spring/Summer 2014 runways.artstyle10

There are moments when designers become artists, artists become designers, or both entities becomes something different entirely.

artstyle11The key differences: fashion is, by its nature, a fleeting thing. You’re in fashion one moment, and out of fashion the next. A good work of art should stand the test of time, not the test of taste.  Art and fashion do sometimes fuse, with mixed degrees of success.artstyle1

The genre of fine arts and fashion design bare the affect of trend and social temperature, but their changing relationship to one another is also reflective of society as a whole. Perhaps some collaborations are more successful than others, but what is primarily important is the dabbling, the mixing, and fantastic results that come from the imaginative play of the creations. Furthermore, designers are always pressured to come up with something fresh for all the different seasons.  I think there might be five seasons now, if you consider RESORT as one.  artstyle7

You can decide from the images shown on this page what and how you would integrate this look into your wardrobe.  Let’s have some FUN!artstyle4

artstyle6Are you an Artful Dresser?artstyle1 (2)artstyle10photoEerikMadiga

I love this Chanel purse that has the address of the design house
I love this Chanel purse that has the address of the Paris design house.
the ARTful nail - as seen in Allure Magazine. Who has the time?
the ARTful nail – as seen in Allure Magazine. Who has the time?
FUN

Simply Satisfying – Panko Baked Chicken Fingers

pankochicken4These are a healthier alternative to the chicken fingers that are served in restaurants and they taste great. These are good the next day, too & make a tasty snack or appie.

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp (2 mL) Dijon mustard
2 egg whites
2 cups (500 mL) panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1/2 tsp (2 mL) paprika
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried parsley
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
Pinch each salt and pepper
2 chicken breasts (650 g total), cut into 16 1-in.-thick strips

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk Dijon mustard with egg whites. In a second bowl, mix together bread crumbs, paprika, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in egg whites and then bread mixture, and place on baking sheet. Repeat till all strips are coated. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until cooked through.

Makes 16 chicken fin­gers. Each: 100 calories, 12 g protein, 1 g fat (0 g sat­urated fat), 10 g carbo­hydrates, 1 g fibre, 24 mg cholesterol, 142 sodium.

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp (30 mL) smooth peanut butter

¼ cup (60 mL) hot water

1Tbsp (15 mL) lime juice

1 Tbsp (15 mL) low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp. (5mL) Tabasco

Pinch each ground ginger, cumin, salt and pepper

Having a couple of extra dipping sauces on hand like sweet chili & honey mustard will give guests a variety to choose from and are a nice accompaniment to the fingers.

 

Recipe taken from Best Health Magazine

 

FUN

Art/Multi-Culture/Reality – “THE GAB” TV promo

GOING GLOBAL IN VANCOUVER

b logo - CopyThe link below is a teaser/promo to an upcoming new Web series called “THE GAB” that I’m thrilled to be a part of.  Each webisode will take a multi-cultural look at what some remarkable entrepreneurs with a world beat are up to right here in Vancouver. It’s “feel-good” from the inside out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKJRK6kZx8U

 Let’s show you what this city has going on besides good looks.  All of these people and places (we call them hidden gems because some are found a bit off the beaten path) are top-notch in their area of expertise.  Art, Music, Beauty, Fashion, Food, Health & Healing.

We’re pleased to present this to you.  You can leave feedback and subscribe to our website at http://TheGabTV.com

May the luck of the Irish be with you. I'm half Irish!
May the luck of the Irish be with you. I’m half Irish!

While I’m at it…..Happy St. Patrick’s Day!   

FUN

health MATTERS – The “dirty” on dieting

An exposé of secrets & lies!

Do you know anyone who is not trying to shed a few pounds? This new book by Brad King explores why 99.5% of diets actually make you fatter!

dirty dietsWhat if all those calorie-sparse meals and lite foods you’ve embraced to tackle your weight loss needs are actually responsible for making you fat?

Dirty Diets takes you inside the world of processed foods and the diet industry to expose the secrets they do not want you to know. This book will help you finally understand—in spite of the low-fat, lite-food lies—how we got fat to begin with and why we can’t seem to lose the weight no matter how hard we try. Dirty Diets shows you exactly what you need to do to finally lose your excess body fat so you’ll look, feel, and perform the way you’ve always dreamed.

For those who aren’t as clued in as me.  Ha…as I take a bite of my healthy snack: a dairy + gluten-free chocolate dipped macaroon from the bakery around the corner.  They’re so tiny – just popped five into my mouth while I’m typing this.  Uh oh…I just checked the label on the back…..first ingredient is sugar (although 100% cane but even so) and it contains hydrogenated palm kernel oil and each little cookie is 70 calories.  I just consumed 350 calories in 30 seconds!  I think we all need to read this book!

A look inside:

How and why the diet industry continually deceives us

How “diet” and “lite” foods encourage your body to store fat

How your self image is killing your chances of becoming lean

How environmental factors make and keep you fat

How you can stimulate fat releasing hormones 24/7

How to stop insatiable cravings once and for all

How the wrong type of exercise can make you fat

How sleep can boost your metabolism

How you can eat delicious, healthy food at home or at restaurants and not derail your progress

And so much more..

Author:

Brad King
Brad King

Brad King is a nutritional researcher and the author of 11 books including the international best sellers Fat Wars, Bio-Age and the award winning Beer Belly Blues.  His depth of knowledge and sense of humour make him a popular interview and he has been featured on thousands of television programs.

This book is now available on Amazon.com (the Kindle version is 60% off).  It will soon be available at http://www.DirtyDiets.com

**Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host Brad King for the most evocative and informative up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America.  Here’s the link: http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/1686/transforming-health