I came up with this simple recipe!  It turned out so tasty and so love-ly. I couldn’t wait to share it!

The women I work with tend to feel drained and are overwhelmed with their family, themselves and their health. My life and my work motto is to keep things simple. So as you make a mad dash for your valentine’s day cards, take a moment to breathe in love, hold it. See how it makes you feel. Then release all your worries, fears and doubts. Let love settle within yourself on this special Valentine’s day.

Love Salad

4 handfuls of arugula
1 pomegranate, deseed
1 orange, peeled and diced
3 Tb of olive oil
3 Tb of balsamic vinegar

Simply layer a beautiful salad bowl with a layer of arugula, then orange segments, then pomegranate. Mix the dressing in a small glass jar and drizzle over each salad serving.

Baked scallops served over top of this salad is so love-ly too!

If you are ready for a personalized look into why you are feeling drained on a physical, emotional and heartful level then have a look at my in person or virtual coaching programs.

Lunch doesn’t come easy for me.  How about you?  It’s the one hour in my day that I don’t have to prepare for anyone else but myself.  Honestly, I’d rather eat out or skip it all together.  That would require me leaving my home though or suffering with mood swings hours later.  If I’m going to prepare something, it’s going to be healthy and made my way.

When I eat a nutrient-dense protein like a little wild tuna, free-range chicken or egg along side of my greens my energy stays high for the afternoon.  My blood sugar levels stabilize and I’m a happy mom and wife for my boys.

This is how I do it.  I grab:

Nayonaise or Hellman’s Olive Oil
Organic baby spinach
Gluten free mustard.. yes there is such a thing
1 can of hook and line tuna
Celtic sea salt, cayenne, dill, cumin
My favorite cheese substitute.. nutritional yeast.
Garden pesto
Optional, parm cheese

My pantry is always stocked with healthy options to choose from.  I just have to pick what I want to eat.  There is no guilt in my choices.  I leave that crap behind at the grocery store.

Spread your mustard on gluten free bread.  I use pure pesto sometimes.

Top with your tuna spread made of tuna, nayo, and spices all mixed together.  I like mine sprinkled with nutritional yeast for added flavor and a nutritional boost. I love it!

Add a little parm and heat enough to melt enough to bring back a little tuna-melt memory.  Enjoy!

If yoy have low thyroid function consider heating your greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli before eating.  This will reduce the available goitrogen properties that may inhibit thyroid function.

Dulse is a sea vegetable found in the cold waters of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic. It is the color of redish-purple. This leafy vegetable is high in many minerals and trace minerals that are so often depleted from our daily foods. It is especially high in the mineral iodine. Watch the video below for a one ingredient recipe and the importance of the crucial mineral, idodine.

If you want to eat more like this you are welcome to join me in the Renew Your Energy: 10 day cleanse. There is still time and space for you to join in our amazing group. We kick off on January 16, 2012.

How would you like to learn how to cook and eat more like this?  Join me for the Renew Your Energy: 10 Day Cleanse and I’ll show you how.

Honoring the old habits  and beliefs is an important part of letting go so that you may embrace the new and present. This applies to our taste buds too! That gorgeous ceasar salad I enjoyed on New Year’s Eve was a gourmet experience that I indulge in at least once a month.

Lathered in a home made dressing, creamy and milky hits the taste buds nicely. Pour it over romaine, wheat croutons, fresh bacon and toped with a thick layer of parmasean is devine!  Honestly, I love a classic Caesar salad. My tummy, however, begs to differ.

In the spirit of cleansing this month,  I’m making a lighter, different version of the old.  I wouldn’t tell my husband it was ceasar salad but there is a hint and it taste good.   I promise you’ll like it and serve it again.  Why?  ‘Cause it’s so easy to make.

1 organic romaine heart, tear into pieces
2-3  Tbsp olive oil
1/4 lemon juice, squeezed
garlic clove, crushed (may use garlic powder in a pinch)
parmesan shavings

Stir olive oil, lemon juice and garlic together in a small bowl. Pour over chopped romaine and top with parm. For a complete dairy free substitute omit parm and sprinkle salad with a little nutritional yeast for a light cheesy & nutty flavour.

If you want to eat more like this than check out the Find Your Energy: 10 Day Cleanse. I created this easy program for women who need to push the reset button.

“Winter solstice” is much more than “the first day of winter.”

Today is the day when the sunlight stops walking away from us. The sunlight turns around and the days become longer.

It’s growth is slow, but it is continual.

What a beautiful reminder for me to pause and turn inward during this time of year. A reminder to listen in to what my body needs. What my thyroid needs. A reminder for more..

Sunshine. Warmth. Care. Energy and Healing.

Energetically and physically our body needs warming foods such as root vegetables (e.g. beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, turnips, squashes) that will help ground us as we move through the winter renewal.

Spring brings new life. Fall brings harvest gifts. The beauty of winter is this. It’s a time to look inward, to dream and Believe in the promise.

Winter Solstice is life’s promise of the light and growth to come. Do you believe?

I Believe,

Why use honey syrup instead of a syrup made with sugar?

The answer is simple…

Because you feel better afterwards!

Research says that since honey is already converted to and dextrose by the honey bees, it doesn’t put a strain on the pancreas to produce insulin in large quantities.  I’m not a scientist, but whatever the technical reason, I do know from experience that honey leaves my tribe of Energized Women feeling much better than commercial sugar and syrups.

Warm Homemade Honey Syrup lightly drizzled over these Buckwheat Pancakes is so good.

Gently warm 1/2 cup of local honey, then stir in 1 tsp of water, a dash of cinnamon and 1 tsp butter.  Pour over pancakes.  Refrigerate the remaining syrup.

Honey and Cinnamon are two ingredients that energetically warm the body during the winter months.  I use both of these in my diet for health but mostly for their energizing effect, comfort feeling and my love for their sweet flavors. 

Are there ingredients in your baking that infuse comfort, energy and loving feelings in you?  Take notice, you might be surprised by their effects on your emotional well being.

If you want to cook more like this than check out the Find Your Energy: 10 Day Cleanse I created this easy program for women who want more self care in their life.

I grew up on pancakes.  They were Dad’s specialty, made early on Saturday mornings.  I remember the heavy iron skillet, the smell of oil and taste of syrup with butter.  It probably wasn’t butter but margarine! Anyway the whole idea brings back lovely memories from my childhood.

Since then, I’ve learned to make pancakes in a healthier way.  You name the flour because I’ve tried’ em all!  I’ve used my 6 million dollar flour mix, greek yogurt, almond meal and of course buckwheat flour.  The store bought grains mixes work fine too!

Buckwheat has NO relation to the familiar wheat.  It is a gluten-free grain is more dense than wheat.  Your palate will quickly adjust.  That calls for a wopping “hooray” in our family these days.

Madac is on a gluten free diet for leaky gut and this recipe is a lovely treat for him and me.

3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
1/4 tsp baking soda (aluminum free)
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 free range egg, beat well
2 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil
2 Tbsp of sucanat, maple syrup or pinch of stevia
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen brand)

Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately. Combine all ingredients together with a fork ensuring there is no lumps in the batter. Add additional milk as needed. For medium sized medallion pancakes pour a 1/4 cup batter separated on a low heated oiled pan (may use butter, coconut oil or olive oil).   Heat pancakes until bubbles form over top of pancake then flip. Let set for another minute or so.

Want a variation? If you are pushed for time pick yourself up a pre-mixed buckwheat pancake mix.  Serve it with warm butter and this Homemade Honey Syrup.

It doesn’t matter how you make or serve a pancake it will brings JOY to your home!

If you want to cook more like this than check out the Find Your Energy: 10 Day Cleanse. I created this easy program for women who want to push the reset button.

I have this amazing dream of uniting women from around the globe in ENERGY, self care and vibrant health.  The more women that participate, the more ENERGY we’ll have, and the more support we’ll embrace!  So this is what I’m thinking:

Women wanting to feel beautiful, to eat healthier and to make room for passions.

It has to be simple.

Renew Your Energy: 10 Day Cleanse is a beautifully simple, recharging cleanse designed to nourish your mind, body and soul.

Join for only $95. 

Until January 6th, when you join you may send me the name of one extraordinary woman you would like to join the cleanse for free.

(Split the cost with a friend. Give it as a gift or pay it forward.)  The choice is all yours!

Will you, can you share this lovely offer with the other amazing women in your life?

Trust and believe,

There are exceptions to the rule of course. Like when there is no food in the house or when you know Santa is at the mall waiting for your son to arrive. Or how about when everyone else has their Christmas tree up and you haven’t made time for that yet. Yesterday was one of those days.

The boys set out to find a tree in our own yard. Mama wouldn’t have that though. So my dad offered a lend of his van’s roof rack to bring home a tree from a lot. The tree came and it was perfect.

Meanwhile I strolled down the isle of a local market looking for something warming, seasonal, healthy and easy to make. I found it and this is all that is left over to show. “It must of been good,” your saying to yourself. Well, it was! So good that I had my parents over for supper.

Did I mention easy?

This is a great dish to share with others. We all need a break this time of year. Go ahead invite the parents. They’ll think you spent hours on a special meal made just for them.  It won’t last.  This is all that’s left!

1 local boneless turkey breast, chopped
3 organic celery rib, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 heaping tsp Celtic sea salt
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry
1/2 cup of organic chicken broth

1 head of broccoli with stems, chopped
2 small-med potatoes, diced
1 can Amy’s mushroom soup
pepper to taste

Set your crock pot on high. Add all ingredient in the first section. Allow it to cook for about an hour. Add in the broccoli, potatoes and mushroom soup. Cook for another hour. Serve over rice with a nice green salad.

Now to decorate my tree!

If you want to cook more like this than check out the Find Your Energy: 10 Day Cleanse.  I created this easy program for women who need more, well, self care in their life. 

Renew
Recharge
Revitalize

Exterminate low energy for good. That’s my priority for you! If you are READY I will show you how.

Renew Your Energy: 10 Day Cleanse is a chance to renew your spirit, create space for you and clean out the junk from the holiday season. Perhaps, it’s your first very first cleanse. This is a simple, whole foods cleanse geared for this time of year. Learn more about this winter renewal here.