Barefoot Girevik

We are now almost one week into the first ever Spring Makeover Challenge at Sturgeon Valley Athletic Club and the weekly weigh in is looming.  I wonder how all of the participants are feeling about their efforts so far. The thing that I love about this particular challenge is its emphasis on health and learning healthy new habits that are designed to be sustainable even after the challenge is over.  Yes, it is a weight loss challenge where people are competing to lose the most weight each week but the coaches are all doing their best to ensure that the weight loss is being done in the safest way possible. On the eve of our weekly weigh in, I want to remind everyone that even though it is a competition, in the end, it is your health and safety that we are concerned with.  A good amount of weight loss for a week is 2 lbs. There is a bit of leeway of course depending on the individual and their particular program, however excessive weight loss initially is likely water...

Happy Valentines Day! Alright, maybe I jumped the gun a bit with the 'Happy' wishes a few days early but I love Valentines day.  Do you have any big plans this year?  May I suggest a fun idea?  How about this year, instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, why not stay in and cook a heart healthy meal together?  I have put together a menu built around heart healthy foods and the recipes that go along with it to ensure that your heart keeps beating strong for your main dish. Menu: Appetizer: Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto:   Just like it sounds, heavenly spears of crunchy asparagus spears wrapped together with a piece of salty prosciutto.  Asparagus is chock full of anti-inflammatory nutrients and antioxidants, among them, vitamins K and C respectively.  Heart disease is known to be a chronic disease that evolves due to excessive inflammation and oxidation.  Two key steps in preventing heart disease is to ...

Fighting off Cold and Flu Season Every year as Christmas draws near, I hear the same thing from several friends and relatives.  (Think back, I bet you either know someone who has said this or maybe you've said it yourself.)  " There is always someone sick in our house every Christmas! "  Why is it that some families get through the holidays unscathed and perfectly healthy while others struggle?  The best way to fight off any kind of sickness at any time of the year is to make sure that your immune system is healthy and has all the support it needs to keep you going strong.  I know it isn't fun when someone in your house is sick and can't join in the festivities.  Why not start planning ahead?   Start now , boosting your immune system and your family's and arm yourself with the proper tools to fight off infection. What are some of the things you can do? 1. Rest:  Make sure you are getting enough.  Getting enough sleep isn't just a...

In case you missed it, there was a big football game on Saturday night.  Packers vs Niners playoff game.  It didn't end the way I wanted it to but lets not go there.  If you have been following my blog you know that I like football and you also might know that my team is the Green Bay Packers.  For Christmas last year my husband gave me an NFL cookbook with menu suggestions and recipes for every team in the league.  It isn't always easy to come up with dinner ideas day after day after day after...well you get it.  So on game day it is nice to just flip to the corresponding page of my cookbook and find inspiration. On Saturday the recipe for "Fish Fry with Hush Puppies" caught my eye.  I had fish so I was sure I could make it work somehow.  The problem was that the recipe for the fried fish contained buttermilk, cornflake crumbs and all purpose flour and the hush puppies were deep fried lumps of cornmeal batter. I wasn't about  to sabotag...

It's that time of year, the kids are back in school, everyone is back to their routine.  It is also one of the busy times of year for health and fitness facilities and professionals, right up there with the New Years Resolutions crowd of January.  With the kids back in school parents have more time to get back to their training.  People who are planning to go somewhere warm in the winter are looking to shed the extra lbs gained over the summer from BBQ parties and beers on the patio so they can proudly sport their speedo on the beach.  (and ultimately enjoy more food and beer, on the beach this time instead, what a vicious cycle)  This means more clients for me and more time spent in the gym. There is however something else this time of year.  August means the start of the minor football season.  That means long nights at the field and before long those nights start to get cold.  Despite the colder weather and all the extra time on the field...

Almost a year ago   I posted The Evolution of A Recipe showing how I have changed the recipe for Impossible Cheeseburger Pie over the years so that my family could continue to enjoy it even though our eating habits have changed.  I have made yet another change to that delicious recipe and want to share it with all of you.  Below is my recipe from a year ago with a couple changes.  Most of it will stay the same, the change is to the biscuit mix.  I have hi-lited the changes by changing the text colour to red.  Happy Cooking! My NEW Paleo Version Impossible Cheeseless Burger Pie Ingredients: 1 lb. extra lean ground grass fed beef 1 med. yellow onion chopped 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 2 fresh chopped Jalapenos (I remove the seeds so they aren't quite as hot) 2 cloves garlic smashed and chopped 2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne 1 1/2 c. Almond or coconut milk 1/4 C Coconut Flour 3/4 ...