Food Addict

Happy Friday! I love Friday Pizza Nights, but I don't love all the dough and cheese that's usually involved.  I was recently introduced to a beautiful creation from a local Mediterranean Market. This is pizza crust, whole wheat, as thin as a cracker and as fresh as your Grandma's homemade buns.  That's actually what it smells like.  (I smell everything!)  I'm sure you have a similiar market where you live...this crust is what makes the pizza so enjoyable for me.  I still have issues when it comes to eating 'bread'.  The thinner the crust, the fewer the carbs and calories, in my mind. I make myself a delicious veggie pizza loaded with whatever I have on hand. Tonight it was mushrooms, peppers, onions and cauliflower.  I love, love, love thin cut zucchini on this too, but I forgot to buy it.  (How does that happen even when I have a list??)  Anyway...I cook these up in a little Grapeseed oil and white wine. Smear the crust with pesto sauce (fre

Hello friends! I promised you the details on my favourite meal.  I just finished eating it, so it's splendor is fresh in my mind! OK, you need a package of these. Shirataki Noodles...I get them at Nature's Fare in Kelowna.  $3.50 a bag which is supposed to have seven servings, I'm here to tell you that is ridiculous...there are maximum two servings in these bags.  The beauty of these is that they are basically 'nothing noodles'.  No calories, no carbs, no fat, no soy no gluten...so what the heck are they you ask?  Who cares?  Ha ha.  Seriously though, here's some info from http://www.lowcarbdiets.com/ "Shirataki noodles were originally developed in Asia, but they have recently come to the attention of people around the world. Because these noodles are almost totally a beneficial type of fiber , they have almost no "bad" carbohydrates. There are some indications that they may have other health benefits as well.... Shirataki comes from the

Good morning! You read the title correctly...snot.  It's on my mind today as I work through this cold.   Yesterday, it was on my top lip...yes...running from my nose to my lip right in the middle of my audition!  Hideous!  Why my nose had to dribble at that exact moment I will never know...the good news is that the casting director likely won't soon forget me!  She was very gracious, offered me a Kleenex and we moved on.  Wonder if I will be getting a call back for this one?? What else can you do but laugh?  My friend Becky and I laughed for hours yesterday.  Our 15 hour Vancouver adventure began at 6:30 am.  We hit the road for the coast with oatmeal, healthy snacks, coffee and reading material.  The snot incident was one of several funny moments.  We got lost (many times), we lost the truck momentarily in an underground parking lot and Becky thought the Canucks were playing in the Stanley Cup Final last night!  All giggle worthy moments. We had grand intentions of fi

Hello Friends! I'm feeling slightly, and I mean just slightly under the weather today.  A little ache in the back of my throat is telling me to take it easy.  It's a chicken soup kind of a day...but I don't eat chicken...so after a long pantry browsing session this morning, I emerged victorious with this... Miso soup.  I just read something about the health benefits of this fermented soy based soup.  I can't remember where I read the intial information, but here's what a search on Yahoo came up with today... "...the fighting prowess and health benefits of chicken soup pale by comparison when placed side by side with a real contender, hailing from faraway Japan. Its name is Miso Soup, and its blend of simple ingredients contain a veritable shopping list of nutrients and health benefits...studies show that simply consuming one bowl of miso soup per day, as most residents of Japan do, can help cut the risk of breast cancer. This is attributed to the magic

Hello Friends! Happy Easter.  I just arrived home from my first Turkey Feast as a Vegetarian.  It all went very well...I'm stuffed! My friend Becky prepared a beautiful meal...all the fixings.  I am the only Vegetarian in the group so a few contributions from me were necessary! I've discovered being Vegetarian is a lot of work, even when you're an invitee!  Obviously I would not be eating the turkey, but gravy, stuffing and mashed potatoes were also off the menu for me. (I follow a Vegan diet, except for whey protein powder.) So, after a whirlwind morning at the soccer pitch, (my niece's team won, in case you were wondering) I came home and whipped up some nice roasted veggies.  I combined yam, turnip, baby potatoes, onion and parsnips.  Olive oil and fresh rosemary give them beautiful flavour.  Next, a vegan mushroom gravy.  Onions, garlic, celery and mushrooms sauteed in white wine and a little veggie broth.  Here it is just before I pureed it with the hand blende

Good morning! I had to slow things down today on the workout front.  Still feeling this week's Waikiki Beach and Stair Climbing workouts!  Yoga was the order of the morning. Hemalaya Behl's, Yoga for Urban Living is what I chose today.  This is a deep stretch yoga primarily for the hips and spine.  Just what I needed!  I feel refreshed.  I always tend to go to the fast paced, strenuous exercise but I'm learning that kind of workout needs to be tempered with something slower.  I usually choose the P90X Yoga...that is an intense 90 minutes that rivals any other strength training...but sometimes it's good to just let go, relax and create some space in your body. Time for morning oatmeal!  I will be mixing in some of the Arbonne Protein Powder today.  I was given some samples.  It's Vegan and Gluten Free.  The protein comes from peas, cranberries and brown rice.  20 grams of protein in two scoops.  Maybe I will be able to switch off of the Whey Protein and call my

Hello friends. I'm recovering from a grueling stair climbing workout.  My hamstrings are still sore from that Gabby Reese workout on Tuesday...now my calves and quads will get in on the action!  Tomorrow may hurt!!  It's good pain though, right? OK, so my sister-in-law Liane is visiting from Calgary this weekend.  The 'Calgary Wittmann's' arrived yesterday...we were all so happy to see each other.  I always enjoy spending time with Liane.  We are on the same page in many aspects or our lives.  We love exercise and spiritual work.  I always feel that after time together, Liane and I leave each other having gained something.  (Liane is going to gain some sore legs from me!  Lol!!)  I took her to the Rutland Stairs this morning...yikes...she's like me though, she loved the workout and will appreciate that soreness when she first moves tomorrow morning!  After our workout we hit Starbucks and Chapters.  We plopped ourselves down in front of some Chakra books,

Good Morning! I love a good Kiwi...packed with tons of Vitamin C and other nutrients.  A friend commented recently about how messy they are to eat.  She was attempting it with a spoon.  She hadn't considered eating this little gem with the skin on! I was introduced to this 'skin on' concept by my friend Becky.  She scrubs the fruit then just slices it up.  I was astonished when presented with an unpeeled Kiwi, but popped it into my mouth and...wow!!!  The thick skin is nice and chewy.  This is the way most New Zealanders eat their Kiwi and a little research shows that skin only adds to the fruit's nurtitional value! The following is from http://www.kiwi-fruit.info/ Kiwi fruit skin contains high levels of flavonoids, insoluble fiber and antioxidants: these substances all have a beneficial effect on your body's metabolic functions (flavonoids and antioxidants) and on your digestive system and cardiovascular apparatus (insoluble fiber). Common sense, however

Holy Cow!  I got a message from a friend today directing me to the Gabby Reece website!  She has full circuit workouts detailed there.  I did the Waikiki Circuit...three rounds! This is how I looked right after!  Tough workout...I love a challenge.  There are several to choose from all named after Hawaiian and California beaches!  Fun.  Now I'm having a protein shake! http://www.thehoneyline.com/ http://www.gabbyreece360.com/

Hello again! First of all I must be clear that I am talking about good, old fashioned, slow cooking oats...rolled or steel cut.  Not the instant variety with options like maple, brown sugar or peaches and cream :( I cut oatmeal out of my morning routine a few months ago when I went (mostly) vegan.  The reason is that I add protein powder to my oatmeal and I gave up Whey Protein (milk protein).  I purchased some Soy and other Vegan protein options, but the dreadful taste turned me off of my 'go-to' breakfast.  I enjoy working out in the morning, cardio, weights etc. and so protein is a necessary part of my diet.  Since eggs are off the menu, I made the decision to add some 'whey' protein back into my life.  So now morning oatmeal is back on with the addition of GNC's delicious Vanilla Protein Powder.  It means I can't call myself a Vegan...but after four weeks back on the oatmeal, I lost three pounds.  It's the only thing that's changed in my routine s

My name is Toby and I am a food addict!   There I said it.   I wake up in the morning thinking about food, I plan my day around food and I go to bed dreaming about food.   Food, food, food…it’s an obsession with me. When I was young, I was a chubby girl…totally my own doing…I always loved to go to Gramma’s house because she made the best treats.   Squares of chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, graham crumbs and coconut.   Those were my favourite!   Her cookies, cakes and breads were darn good too.   If I wasn’t lucky enough to be at Gramma’s for a meal, I would sneak down to her cold room in the basement and fill my face with macaroons and peanut clusters.   Funny how even then I knew what I was doing was somehow wrong, unhealthy both for my body and my spirit. When I got a little older I started to bake at home.   I would scan the cookbooks and scour the cupboards for ingredients.   It didn’t really matter what it was, as long as it was sweet. This obsession with sugar carried