New upgraded & improved site is up!

Because every post needs a picture... FOTD yesterday. :)

 
As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm transitioning over to a new and improved site/blog.  It is called "Breakfast at Fit Fannies" (yes, it's a play on the title of the 1961 movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" starring Audrey Hepburn, ha ha ha).  I literally woke up last Thursday morning, thought of the name, and loved it!  It goes so well with my philosophy on healthy living (i.e. always eating breakfast as it is the most important meal of the day, striving to be fit versus skinny).  I have been meaning to change the name of my blog for some time now.  I never liked the name of this blog and this blog was always meant to be a temporary thing that allowed me to blog and take pictures (huge hobbies of mine), while I thought of a different name.  So anyways, here it is...


http://www.breakfastatfitfannies.com


Mind you, it is still under construction, but I will be blogging there from now on (first new blog post on that site will be up tomorrow).  Hope you all follow me there for recipes and health tips to achieve/maintain a fit fanny.


xox,


Adeline


P.S. I just started a Facebook page too, because that is what all bloggers seem to be doing, ha ha.  If you could go over there and "like" it, I will be sending you big virtual hugs and kisses from Toronto! ;)  I have also changed my Twitter name to @FitFannies.  If you were already following my old Twitter name, you should be automatically following this new one (got to love Twitter for that feature!).

Quinoa Pudding (Better Than Rice Pudding!)

Brown rice pudding is one of my favourite healthy gluten-free treats.  However, I was looking for a way to make it even healthier and I came up with this quinoa pudding.  It tastes just as yummy (if not yummier!) and it provides a comlete protein, essential fatty acids, and fibre.  Not to mention, it is also gluten-free and dairy-free!  Plus, it contains cinnamon and coconut milk, which help to balance blood sugar levels, so no sugar spikes and crashes from this sweet treat!

Quinoa Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups filtered water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sucanat or other unrefined sugar
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
• few dashes cinnamon
• few fresh/frozen berries of choice for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa a few times with water to remove its natural, bitter-tasting saponin coating.
2. Add the rinsed quinoa and filtered water into a pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and let simmer until all the water has evaporated.
4. Add in the coconut milk, sucanat (or other refined sugar), and sea salt.
5. On low to medium heat, allow some of the liquid to evaporate until desired consistency is reached, while stirring frequently.
6. Remove pot from heat and add cinnamon.
7. Give everything a good final stir and serve.
8. Garnish with a few berries, if you wish.  (I used tart cranberries to complement the sweetness.)

Enjoy!

xoxox,

Adeline

P.S. I will be upgrading my blog to a new site soon... I'm so excited for this new change!  That is why I've kind of been neglecting this blog.  Anyways, stay tuned! ;)

Juice, Juice Baby! ("Total Cleanse" Review)

Juice cleanses are becoming increasingly popular these days (at least that is what I have noticed among my clients).  There are quite a few juice cleanse delivery companies across Toronto now and one of the most popular ones is Total Cleanse.  This company has been featured on The Marilyn Denis Show and in numerous newspapers and magazines, so I was so excited to give it a try.  I ended up sort of trying this cleanse twice.  Let me explain... I only intended to try their 1-day "Revitalize" cleanse.  However, after picking up the 6 juices on a Saturday from one of the chefs, the owner, Rebecca Malen, phoned me soon afterwards  and said that she did not think the juices I just picked up were up to her freshness standards.  So, she offered another 1-day juice cleanse for the following Saturday and told me to keep the juices I just received.  What integrity and amazing customer service!

Anyways, I decided to try the "Energize" cleanse instead the following Saturday and the "Energize" cleanse is what I will be reviewing.  I still drank the juices from the "Revitalize" cleanse, but I did not treat it as a cleanse.  I drank those juices with snacks, so it was not an all-juice cleanse.  The following Saturday, I picked up my "Energize" cleanse and this is how my day without solid food went...

Drink #1 (Green Energy - 197 calories):  cucumber, celery, kale, lettuces, parsley, lemon, apple, romaine lettuce 

This was my second favourite drink.  I have read other reviews saying that this drink was one of their least favourites, but I enjoyed it and found it to be very refreshing.  The cucumber and kale are the most prominent flavours, but there is a nice, light sweetness from the apple.

Drink #2 (Lemonade - 108 calories):  lemon, cayenne, maple syrup, filtered water

I was definitely hungry by the time I got to this drink.  It curbed my craving for solid food a bit, but not completely.  This juice was less sweet and more tart than your typical lemonade.  Also, I could see the cayenne powder bits floating around in the juice, but I could not taste any spiciness.  So if you are one who hates spice and heat, no worries here.

Drink #3 (Green Energy - 197 calories):  cucumber, celery, kale, lettuces, parsley, lemon, apple, romaine lettuce

By this point, I was tempted to cheat and grab a small snack or fruit, but thankfully, I resisted.  I was happy to see this juice again.  Once again, it was lightly sweet and very refreshing.

Drink #4 (Very Berry - 248 calories):  strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, apple, lemon

This was hands-down my favourite drink!  It was quite sweet (which is probably why it was my favourite drink, ha ha) and I tasted mostly strawberries and pineapple.  Since this drink was high in sugar, I felt energized and satiated after drinking it.  However, about one hour later, I could feel my energy levels crashing slightly.  Oh well, it was totally worth it for all that yumminess, antioxidants, and vitamin C!

 

Drink #5 (Lemonade - 108 calories):  lemon, cayenne, maple syrup, filtered water

This tart drink was nice to have after the sweet Very Berry drink. 

Drink #6 (Cashew Milk - 308 calories): cashew nuts, vanilla, honey, filtered water

I was most looking forward to this cashew milk.  Although it was my third favourite drink (after the Very Berry and Green Energy juices), I did not like it as much as I thought I would.  I was expecting it to taste sweet, but I could not really taste any sweetness from the honey.  It had an odd, nutty taste.  I prefer almond milk, but this was definitely heartier than almond milk.  It was nice to have this drink at the end, because it was the most filling drink.  Unlike all the other drinks, which were significantly higher in carbohydrates than in fat/protein, this drink contained 21.3 g of good fat and 7.1 g of protein.

Overall, this cleanse is a great beginner cleanse.  The drinks are packaged in plastic bottles, which may be an issue with some people, but they are definitely easier to carry than glass bottles.  Just make sure you recycle them afterwards.  Also, at just under 1200 calories per day, you will probably be feeling hungry throughout the day.  However, this hunger is tolerable and manageable.  Just keep in mind that you are giving your digestive system a short break, so that your body can focus on detoxifying.  Hope this helps those of you who are considering a juice cleanse.  I say do your research, make sure you are in a healthy pre-juicing state, find the right juice cleanse for you, and try it!

Cheers!

xoxox,

Adeline