healthy Archives - mapsgirl.ca

5 Products to help you get healthy!

January 8, 2015 by Wendy S

1. Vitamix

This is first on my list because you have to start getting healthy by making sure that you’re getting the right nutrition! Craig wrote a great post about our Vitamix!

Vitamix 1732 TurboBlend VS Blender

2. Meal Planner

Making sure that you’re eating the right foods at the right time of day is very important! We use The Organized Family Menu Planner by Glow Baby to help keep us on track!

The Organized Family Menu Planner by Glow Baby

3. Fitbit

Tracking your movement, activities, steps and calories can help keep you motivated! The new Fitbit Charge has a lot of amazing features, including the number of stairs climbed!

Fitbit Charge HR Wireless Activity Wristband

4. Yurbuds

When I run, I have to listen to music. The regular ear buds that you get with most devices, don’t stay in when you’re running.

Yurbuds Inspire Pro Female Performance-Fit Sports In-Ear Headphones
(also available for men)

5. Contigo AutoSeal Waterbottle

Hydration is important! I love that the Contigo bottle auto-seals and doesn’t leak! It’s also easy to drink from and fits in most cup holders. Most importantly, it fits in the cup holder on the elliptical at my gym!

Contigo AutoSeal Water Bottle

NOTE: Some of the links above are affiliate links and I may get credit if any purchases are made.

How fast is your chicken recipe? #ChickenDotCa

September 30, 2014 by Wendy S

Now that activities are in full swing, there are many nights where we need to get something on the table quickly! We’re eating quickly before heading out the door, between activities or even on the run!

Fast food used to be our crutch, but when we made the choice to live a healthier lifestyle, that isn’t an option any more.

So now our “fast food” is just recipes that don’t take a lot of prep or cook time!

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

This is a family favourite and is really easy with left-over chicken, frozen veggies, canned soup and a pre-made pie crusts! Prepped, cooked and ready to eat in 50 minutes!

See my recipe below!

Chicken.ca has so many great Quick and Easy Recipes to choose from!

What kid doesn’t love Chicken Fingers?

One quick and easy recipe, that my girls love are the Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers with Sweet Potato “Plum” Sauce

http://www.chicken.ca/recipes/almond-crusted-chicken-fingers-with-sweet-potato-plum-sauce

Breakfast for Dinner is always a favourite!

On the weekends, if we cook a big roast chicken, there is always leftovers. Using the leftover chicken breast, the Chicken & Egg in Mug is not only quick and easy, my girls are able to make it themselves!

http://www.chicken.ca/recipes/chicken–egg-in-a-mug

To see more Quick and Easy Recipes

Click on over to the Chicken.ca recipes section — http://www.chicken.ca/recipes/cat/8/quick-n-easy

To see all of the other great things that the Chicken Farmers do, follow them!

Facebook: Canadian Chicken
Twitter: @ChickenFarmers
Instagram: ChickenDotCA
Pinterest: ChickenDotCA

Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2014-09-30 18:33:02

Serves 4

Using convenience products like canned soup, cooked chicken, frozen veggies and refrigerated pie crusts make this comfort food classic a cinch to prepare. It’s chock full of flavor and ready in just 50 minutes.

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

50 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

35 min

Total Time

50 min

Ingredients

1 package refrigerated refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts), at room temperature
1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup milk
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 2/3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (carrot, green beans, corn, peas), thawed (about 2 2/3 cups)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with 1 pie crust. Trim any excess.
Stir the soup, milk, chicken and vegetables in a medium bowl. Spoon the chicken mixture into the pie plate. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Place the remaining pie crust over the filling. Trim any excess. Crimp the edges of the top and bottom crusts together. Using a sharp knife, cut several slits in the top crust.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the crust with the remaining cheese.

By Wendy [mapsgirl]

mapsgirl.ca https://www.mapsgirl.ca/

Disclosure: I am participating in the Chicken Farmers of Canada campaign managed by SJ Consulting. I received compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Getting Healthly: 6 month update — Normal BMI #NewMapsgirl

March 18, 2014 by Wendy S

For the last 6 months, I’ve been focused on my health. I’ve been eating better. I’m exercising 3 days a week. And I’m feeling great!

When I started this journey, I wasn’t even close to having a normal BMI. I was overweight.

But with a lot of hard work, at my last measurement, just over 1 month ago, I had lost 13″ and 24lbs.

In the last 4 weeks, I’ve lost another 3 pounds!

Normal BMI!

As much as I’ve been watching the scale and tape measure, I’ve also been keeping an eye on my BMI. As of today, I am Normal!

BMI Categories:

Underweight = <18.5

Normal weight = 18.5–24.9

Overweight = 25–29.9

Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Why is a normal BMI important?

(info from the CDC)

BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults. However, BMI is not a diagnostic tool. For example, a person may have a high BMI. However, to determine if excess weight is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.

The BMI ranges are based on the relationship between body weight and disease and death. Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for many diseases and health conditions, including the following:

Hypertension
Dyslipidemia (for example, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides)
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Osteoarthritis
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

Since I have a family history with so many of the things listed above, getting healthy and getting back into the “normal” range was important to me!

Still have work to do

I still have work to do though. I would like to be more in the middle of the normal range, so I have about 10-14 pounds more to lose. I’ll confirm this with my trainer and doctor to make sure I’m hitting the correct targets.

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What is your BMI?

Are you in the normal range? Are there things you can work on to become healthier?

Other awesome things that are happening

Since Craig and I have adopted healthy habits, I have seen our girls do some things that make me very happy.

Just the other day, Rachel stopped and read a nutrition label to see the amount of sugar something had in it.

Lauren will grab fruits and veggies from the fridge more frequently than she asks for candy. She still has a sweet tooth so we’re working to curb that!

How are your health goals going?

If you’re on a healthy journey too, let’s support each other! Leave a comment below and let me know how you’re doing!

MyFitnessPal Tips: Importing recipes is easy!

March 1, 2014 by Wendy S

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In honour of the fact that today is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, I thought I would share a yummy recipe and some tips on using MyFitnessPal!

I found a great apple and peanut butter snack recipe that is perfect to share today and fits perfectly into my new healthy eating habits. When I went to myfitnesspal today to enter the recipe, I found that they have added a tool for importing recipes!

New Recipe Importer is easy to use!

When adding your food to your diary, there is now an option under “Recipes” to import from a URL — http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/box (**Update** I have been told that this may not be available to all users yet; it may be something that is being phased in)

Previously, you had to manually enter in all of the information and it would generate the nutritional information about that recipe. You can still do that, but why? The new importer allows you to enter the URL from the site where you found the recipe, it crawls the site for all of the important info needed, allows you to make changes if needed and you’re done!

Copy and paste the URL

Edit the Ingredient list

Add missing ingredients

Save the recipe

You can see the recipe in MyFitnessPal’s database:

Click to see recipe in myfitnesspal!

Now I can log the recipe whenever I have it!

Apple Sandwiches with Honeyed Peanut Butter & Oats

Apple Sandwiches

2014-02-28 09:41:18

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon rolled oats
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsweetened peanut butter
3/4 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon raisins
1 medium apple

Instructions

Combine the oats and cinnamon in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally, until the oats are golden. Cool before using.
Mix together the peanut butter and honey.
Core and slice the apple into 6 rounds. (If you don't have an apple corer, you can slice the apple first and then cut out the centers with a small cookie cutter or knife.)
Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on 3 of the apple slices and sprinkle with raisins and oats. Top with the remaining apple slices to form sandwiches.

Notes

If you are not eating the apple right away, you can brush it with lemon juice to prevent browning. A solution of 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice does the trick without tasting too lemony.
For strict gluten-free diets, be sure to use gluten-free oats.

By Emily Ho

Adapted from theKitchn

mapsgirl.ca https://www.mapsgirl.ca/

This post was inspired by the 31 Days of Writing Prompts for March from The SITS Girls!

Healthy Valentine’s Day! #NewMapsgirl #TeamSilva

February 13, 2014 by Wendy S

This year we’re celebrating a very Healthy Valentine’s Day!

We’re not getting chocolates or candies. As much as I love chocolate and candies, it doesn’t fit in our healthy eating choices.

I still wanted Valentine’s Day to be fun!

This is a super easy way to make some fun, healthy treats for your kids…oh, and you too!

You’ll need:

a heart-shaped cookie cutter
a knife
pink or red fruits (eg. Watermelon and strawberries)

Directions:

Watermelon:

I sliced the watermelon as thick as the cookie cutter is tall, but you could make them thinner as well.

Then I lined up the point of the watermelon to be the point of the heart and cut out the heart shape.

Strawberries:

I sliced the strawberries in half and cut off the green parts.

Then with the flat inside part facing up, I cut the “v” shape out of the top.