Looked On Top Of Your Fridge Lately?

So have you?

Well, if you're at home, why don't you go in your kitchen and take a quick peak right now .... I'll wait!

........

While cleaning up my kitchen today when the kids were sleeping I started to drift in my cleaning, chasing various spills and stains I discovered on the cupboards, knobs, counters, ceiling (from our kettle boiling) and then ... to the top of the microwave - yuck! and then to the top of the fridge - ewwww!  Needless to say, I will not be providing a picture.  Dust meets grease meets too much time since the last clean.  This stuff is so hard to get off because it is mixed with the grease from cooking. I found dishwashing soap to work just fine, but ew, ew and more ewwww.

It's nice when you're living in blissful ignorance of what is looming (living) in places you cannot reach or see, but the when you discover it, the reality is quite embarrassing. (I know my mother in law is probably reading this and laughing right now ... or completely grossed out!)

Anyways, please let me know if you found anything on top of your fridge ... or whether you are one of the organized Martha types that wipes it off on a regular basis along with cleans out your fridge shelves and drawers and has already lined her drawers and cupboards so need not worry about the crumbs and marks in there.  Any tips?

How are those Resolutions Coming?

As we head into week #4 of the new year, our tough trainer, Katie Ireland - Registered Physiotherapist, MCPA and Fitness Trainer - is back to answer some more of our fitness-related questions.

Q: If an hour-long, six-times-a-week workout regime is out of the question, what would be a great goal to aim for as far as frequency, duration and type of work out?

We all should aim for 30-45 minutes of exercise at least six days a week with at least one day of rest to recover with three of those days involving weight training and the others some form of prolonged cardio exercise.

Weight (or resistence) exercises can vary from three sets of 8-10 different exercises or creating a circuit of 8-10 exercises and repeating it three times. If short on time try to choose exercises that cover all body parts. If you have more time, choose exercises for two body parts and do a diferent area each work out. (For example:  Monday-legs & back, Wednesday-shoulders & triceps, Friday-biceps and chest. with a day of rest in between each).

For cardio you should work at an intensity of  five or six (moderately hard) out of ten (where zero is a sleep and ten is exhautsion).  Mixing it up with intervals (highs and lows) can decrease the time and up the intensity. I recommend one interval training session a week to boost the metabolism and reduce risk of plateau. Of course choosing a variety of cardio activities reduces boredom and injury.  Group fitness or working out with a friend is recommended if your motivation is low.

**Don't forget to include lower back and abs somewhere in the mix.


Q:  Working out is made a reality for a lot of busy women by getting it done at home.  What fitness videos do you personally use and/or recommend?  Any you don’t recommend?

I have some great videos:

• Debbie Seibers does a variety of upper and lower body workouts with light weights, always leaves my legs burning.

• Recently I did Tony Horton's P90X. Got really strong and built up a lot of muscle with it but found the exercises lacked variety - most were contraindicated for safety and it was very "old boy" school. Some exercises also too hard for most people to do safely.

•  Lastly I have a Jillian Michaels (The Biggest Loser) circuit DVD. Great workout for 45 min. I am a big fan of The Biggest Loser.

Q: How do you know when to give yourself a pass – after a sleepless night with multiple wake ups, a house full of people sick with the stomach flu, etc? Sometimes (and I’m not saying always) isn’t it more healthy just to give yourself a pass then to push ourselves too hard?

Good questions, hard answer. It is an individual's call.

Sometimes a little exercise is like having a morning coffee. It give you the adrenaline boost you need to get through the day and shake out the sluggishness you carry. Sometime this is what you body need to cope with fatigue, busy schedules, stress and of course whiny , runny noses.

That being said, if you are feeling burnt out I would not sacrifice a good night's sleep for a workout. On those days (which are many in  my life) I try to keep my workouts to the morning or early afternoon, then I am energized for the day. Resist working out  within two hours of your bedtime so you do not boost yourself up when you should be winding down.

Should you feel like you need to do something (anything!), go through gentle , long-hold stretches or even some gentle yoga moves and breathing. These will hep reduce tension from the day and help with relaxation.

Lastly, if you can barely keep your eyes open, I would choose the nap over exercise. Sleep is our way of healing and restoring our energy. You will also reduce risk of injury.

Q: How do you stay active when visiting family or friends on the weekends?

I pack a resistance band in my suitcase and do a few exercises daily when I get time alone. I go for walks after dinner with my mother-in-law or we walk instead of drive to the grocery store. And as a member of the Goodlife gym I can go to locations in any city. I usually sneak out when everyone is napping. We have been told a million times, but we just have to make it a priority.

Can You Bring An Appetizer? YES I Can!

I meant to post this during the holidays but could not find the electronic copy of the recipe and was too lazy to type it out - sorry.


If your family/friend gatherings are anything like mine, everyone usually tries to bring something to contribute - an appetizer, dessert, side, etc.

I'm usually asked to do an appetizer which is not my favourite because I can never usually think of anything inspiring or original and then end up bringing something typical and fattening.

Well, not anymore!

Enter: Canadian Living January 2011 and .... 

The Edamame & Roasted Tomato Canape 

I brought this appy to my family Christmas and it was not only VERY delicious (if I do say so myself), it was relatively healthy and VERY well received. Compliments to Canadian Living for an awesome recipe.

The picture above looks a little bit like a jumbled mess but the picture doesn't show it quite right. It's a nice edamame mixture on a funky cracker, topped with a roasted tomato, feta cheese and fresh mint. It results in a party of different flavours and textures in your mouth that is quite delicious and worth a second (or tenth) trip to the platter for more.

See recipe below or click here for electronic Canadian Living Link:

Ingredients
1 1lb lb(454 g) (454 g) frozen shelled edamame, (about 1-1/4 cups/300 mL) 1/2 cup(125 mL)  shredded fresh mint1/4 cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil1 clove of garlic, minced 3/4 tsp (4 mL)  finely grated lemon rind2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice 3/4 tsp(4 mL)  salt36  gluten-free crackers or whole-grain crackers1/2cup cup (125 mL) crumbled feta cheese, (optional)

Tomatoes:2 cups (500 mL) cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp 25 mL)  extra-virgin olive oil1 pinch salt1 pinch pepper1 pinch granulated sugar

Preparation:

Tomatoes: Toss together tomatoes, oil, salt, pepper and sugar. Bake, cut side up, on parchment paper–lined baking sheet in 300°F (150°C) oven until shrivelled and dry in centre, about 1-1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan of boiling water, cook edamame until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the cooking liquid; let cool.

Rinse edamame under cold water; transfer to food processor. Add half of the mint, the oil, garlic, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt and reserved cooking liquid; purée until smooth.

Spoon generous 1 tsp (5 mL) purée onto each cracker; top with tomatoes, remaining mint, and feta cheese (if using).

P.S. sorry if the ingredient portion is not formatted well ... it's giving me troubles for some reason

Teenage Fashion: Hilarious!

Of course most teenagers have much more fashion sense than I do, but it's how they pull it off that is so comical to me.

I can't tell you how often I am out and about and see a group of teenage girls walking together and they are virtually dressed in identical outfits. Sure they may have different colour schemes going on, but all of the pieces are so close in appearance they could have been purchased from the same store and same rack - from the footwear, all the way up to the coat.  In fairness, perhaps the outfits of choice are wonderful, but when you're walking beside three other people and appear to be quadruplets, any bit of fashion kudos gets pitched to the curb.


Source


Another observation: moccasins.  I know these have been popular with the high school crowd for a bit and hey, I'm all for comfort (pyjama pants were the big thing during my formative years). But when the fashion trend goes a bit far and the kids are wearing actual slippers outside, in the winter, when it's minus ten degrees and there is a good two inches of snow/ice/slush on the ground?  I mean their feet must be wet, freezing and slightly frost bitten...

Source

 And don't get me started about the pants - the extremes of low-slung versus low-rise. You know the low-slung pants that some "cool" guys where that actually do up below the bum. I know this has been observed and said a million times, but truly, how do they stay up? If I put my pants under my bum and cinched a belt around my thighs (where the waist of the pants was), all I would have to do is take a step and they would fall down ... and my pants are a lot tighter too! And the low-rise jeans. I just don't think my body shape was ever meant to be anywhere near a pair of these pants, let alone inside them. Thank goodness the waistlines of pants are creeping up again. 

Source

I should finish this post up as I am truly sounding like a mom who is barking about the younger generation (which automatically indicates my diminishing cool factor).  You know what I mean though right?

Saturday Night We Had A Babysitter ...

... and the stomach flu arrived to our youngest!

Our poor babysitter. I mean, I am the mother of these children and when someone is doing their stomach flu symptoms (my nice way of putting it) at/on me, I can barely hold it together and juggle all that is going on.

Fortunately the babysitter is someone who I trust, who knows the kids really well and knows our house. Still, poor thing.  Kudos to her, when we got home, both were in bed asleep and did not wake until morning (small miracle).

When she called me while we were out (which she never does) and reported the throwing up, I told her I had good and bad news for her.  The bad news: sounds like the stomach flu and it will likely happen again before I get home, the good news: we'll come home as soon as we can.

The stomach flu sucks! (huge understatement)

Don't worry, I won't go into details on how it has progressed and what today's symptoms are.

Hoping that you are not experiencing and do not any time soon.