My Journey to a Healthy New Beginning

This recipe is great for many differnt things.. I use it mainly as a salad dressing but you can use it as a healthy sauce on your sandwiches or wraps or you an use it as a marinate for your protein choices and so many other things.. get inventive and change it up as you go!

Garlic Red Wine Dressing

Ingredients:

Red Wine Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Oregano or Italian Herbs
Garlic
Sea Salt (organic preferred)

Preparation: (I never measure and use A LOT of garlic as I love the taste of it!)

*The ratio of red wine vinegar to EVOO is 3:1. If I do the math correctly (which I may not but use it as a guide) a ¼ cup will = 2 ounces. So for every 2 ounces of EVOO, you would then use 6 ounces of Red Wine Vinegar.
* Throw in about 2 tablespoons of sea salt
* Throw in about a palmfull of oregano or Italian Herbs
* I love garlic so I use a lot- about 3-4 cloves minced
* Shake it all up and it’s ready to go!!!

This recipe will vary on your tastes.. You can use less or more salt, less or more garlic, etc. The only thing I do know is this is a hit at my house with my son and my siter in law devours the salad when I make my dressing.. I make this fresh daily and find it’s good for about 2-3 days and then I make a new batch! It’s very healthy as well and you know exactly what you are consuming.

Fun facts:
Red Wine Vinegar is believed to boost your metabolism (To read more, check out this article)
EVOO- it’s PACKED with all the good types of fat that your body needs. EVOO is considered the best, least processed, comprising the oil from the first pressing of the olives. EVOO helps to process everything as you digest. It’s better un-cooked as all the great things get lost in the cooking but it’s my mine staple in my diet before anything else. If you Google EVOO there are soooo many healthy benefits!

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I met with the new trainer today to complete my fitness test. I didn’t know what to expect but was really looking forward to it.. I wanted to see how he was as a trainer and how hard he could push me. In the past I have had the trainers that basically babysit you and count your reps for you. My last trainer was incredible; loved him but it was an online program and I found that I needed someone in person to ensure my form was bang on and really push me at the end to keep me going when I needed to give up on my own. I’ve learnt that a trainer can really help move things along but it’s equally important to find the “right” trainer.

I met with Wes today and the fitness test consisted of flexibility, push ups, sit ups, plank hold and 2km of rowing. I passed the flexibility text reaching (i think) 43 which on the chart was excellent- yay! In 1 minute I was able to do 26 push ups, not sure how many sits I did, I was able to hold the plank for 3 minutes (yay!) and I was able to complete the rowing in just under 10 minutes at a resistance of 8… The rowing was TOUGH.. I am not used to cardio as my workouts have been solely weight training burning calories as I go but the rowing really pushed me alongside with Wes… After the rowing was finished I decided that he is the man for the job… he KNOWS what he is speaking about and is anything but a rep babysitter… he is pretty awesome and that is what I need.. I need someone to REALLY push me and push me hard to ensure I get the results I want to see. I even tested him to see if he could counsel me on good food choices this weekend on the trip to my cousin’s wedding and his advice was BANG on!

I’ll be meeting with him next week on Tuesday and Thursday and I am excited to see what he has in store for me.. So at the end of the day I PASSED the fitness test and I will be excited to see how I’ll do at the end of my training with Wesley.

So tomorrow I am off to my cousin’s wedding in London, Ontario so I headed to the grocery store to help make some good food choices during the road trip. I have to admit that I am petrified of carbs these days… every time I have some carbs I tend to hold 2-3 lbs in water weight which of course comes off when I take them away again.. I just haven’t found the right balance which I aim to do. So for the road trip I’ll be packing some salmon sandwiches, picked up some whole wheat crackers and I’ll be bringing my homeade salad dressing for the trip for which I’ll add the recipe in my next post.

Have a great weekend!
Xoxo

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That same Australian man that I spoke of that added me to facebook.. the same dream in the pictures.. he has an incredible website that I think everyone will love.. the more I learnt about the laws of the universe and the very same peopel that teach LOA, they want to share it with everyone… Yes, in most cases these people know a secret that i am only starting to begin.. EVERYONE can have everything that they can have the courage to visualize into a reality in their lives. ASK…. creative force answers… then have the courage to RECEIVE but know that you are worthy of receiving.  I’d like to share Brad’s amazing video that has helped me BELIEVE today.. I hope it will inspire a fire within yourself to change as well.

BELIEVE!
Xoxoo

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Before my son left for school this morning he asked me if I could make my “famous” salmon dish for dinner tonight. It makes me laugh to think that my kids aged 13 and 4 not only love my healthy cooking but ask for them over the bad stuff. We eat A LOT of salmon in our house and here is the kids favourite:

Herb Crusted Salmon

Spices
- Herbamare Original (can be located in most health food sections of the grocery store- I get mine at Loblaws) It’s an aromatic sea salt with fresh organic herbs and veggies
- Club House “la Grille” Montreal Chicken Spice

Preparation:
- Rub the Sea Salt on top on the salmon fillets.
- Sprinkle on the Montreal Chicken spice

Heat your skillet on medium-high heat on your stove. After about 4-5 minutes pour in enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to coat the pan.

Place each prepared spice side down into the hot EVOO and cook for about 2 minutes until browned. Turn over and cook for about another 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness. Remove from heat and let salmon to continue cooking on it’s own for about another 3 minutes.

Serve hot with a fresh salad or anything you like. This is FLAVOUR packed, healthy and soooo yummy!

Enjoy!
Xoxo

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My morning began today with a bang! Well, it was actually a phone call to let me know that my daughter’s Dad has been in an accident at work yesterday and has broken his back… OMG!!!! Well, I have a choice.. do I get drawn into the negative emotion “or” do i point out the positives and look at dealing with what we have and moving forward in a positive direction? Well, I guess there might have been a moment of shock and although I am still in disbelief I tried to counsel Hannah’s step mom to look at what could have happened and it’s a true blessing that he is going to pull through.. even though it will be tough physically, he will pull through! She needed some help with her daughter who is Hannah’s 1/2 sister (Kaylee) so I drove the 40 minutes to pick her up after dropping Hannah back at school.

My very organized day turned into a whirlwind…. I met Rachel at the dog park to train Rocky but poor Kaylee couldn’t handle the cold so our 1 hour session turned into a 30 minute sesssion.. ran back to the house to eat lunch (Yummy salmon and spinach) before running to my new gym for my initial consultation. I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I met with a trainer who is from Australia.. (australia seems to be the theme for this week…lol) He seems quite knowledgable and listened to what I had to say.. even though I babbled for 3/4 of the consult- I tend to babble when I have to talk about myself; well the private me that I don’t often share with people. He came up with an option to try out a program he puts together for a very reasonable fee and if I don’t like the program after trying it for 3 sessions, then he will help with my current program and ensuring my form/technique are good. He was nice enough to go over 2 exercises from my current plan with me and like I thought my form had been off. When I corrected the form, I could feel the targeted muscles and felt better knowing how to do it properly.

Well, I am going to meet with him next Thursday and I am going to try his MMT (Metabolic Military Training Program) which is basically resistance circuit training. I am sure it will kick my butt but I am excited to give it a try and hopefully not throw up after it. LOL

As much as I love roller coasters at an amusement park the roller coaster of life that could easily have taken me into a negative empathatic place again today; I decided to pass this time. I had to wake up Hannah this morning to tell her that her father was in the hospital but we woke with a prayer for his quick return to health along with the wish that he gets his mind back into the game and helps himself heal faster with a positive attitude. Of course after that, the best way to wake up in a great mood is to JUMP ON THE BED! I always giggle and have so much fun as does Hannah… People keep telling me that thinking positive is difficult but I think it’s a choice we make and decide to move forward in a positive direction and stay away from the self loathing negative path I see so many people take.

Love ya!
Xoxo

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I know that I spoke about the Six minutes to success program just last week but I needed to tell you about it again today! It’s such an incredible program and it’s entirely free for 7 days! If you choose to not continue with the program you will never be charged but I can promise you that you will have gained information so valuable that it is literally life changing! What do you have to lose? It’s 6 minutes out of your day 5 days a week and you can literally change the direction of your life on the path that you chose, that you want, the one you have always dreamed about.

Listen, I know it’s hard or it’s easy to make excuses or accept our current belief system. I am surrounded by people like this every day and it makes me want to cry because it is just soooo simple to change our way of thinking. When we change our way of thinking, we can literally change anything in our lives. Yes, it’s true!

I love history… and the more I learn about this new way of thinking (Law of Attraction) I’ve learnt that some of the greatest people from our history books all believed and used this way of thinking- they used their own thoughts to create and hold what they wanted in their hands.

What we need to do is stop thinking about what we don’t want and start asking ourselves what is that we want? When you can change this small little way of thinking you change the direction of your life.. for the better. are you looking for changes in your life: Are you satisfied with your personal life? Is your work inspiring to the point that you wake up eagerly anticipating the day at hand? Are you in the company of people whose presence motivates you, and who admire and respect you for your living and your accomplishments?

You certainly can be, have, and do anything you truly want! W. Clement Stone said, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Six Minutes will help you hone your marvelous mind. It is potentially the “most powerful tool on earth,” your means by which to achieve your every dream.

My challenge to you today for this incredible opportunity and try it out for 6 days… I have and it truly is life changing!

Ok, I am off to the hairdressers.. please use this link to sign up today.. now.. please join me and make the decision to change your life for the better today.. http://store.sixminutestosuccess.com/?aid=586706

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Well, I wanted change and boy oh boy did I get it! LOL…. My day started at the hairdressers for 10am where I “thought” I had explained that I wanted some red highlights to peek through my brown hair… well, 2 hours later when I was seated in the chair and my hair was revealed I was more red than brown.. I nearly had a full out panic attack right there in chair! My hairdresser is pretty used to my “freak-outs” but did apoligize for the miscommunication, booked me an appointment for tomorrow and going to try and fix it. What a day though… Even though I am Canadian I am so inspired by the events that took place today in the States. My son was apparently sick today but was glued to the TV to watch the inauguration of President Elect Obama. How incredible that a 13 year old wants to be a part of this day and wants to remember it! When President Obama comes to Ottawa Nicholas wants to go to parliment to get a glimpse… YES.. we need change and I can feel it! It’s possibly and yes, it can start with 1 person.. If we can take the time to change our lives for the better, then imagine the domino effect that can happen to make our earth a better place for all of to live!

Today, is truly a day to remember.. and hopefully tomorrow I will be a little less drastic and back to a somewhat brunette again.. LOL

Hugs!
Xoxo

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My son has been loving some of my creations lately so on the advice of my son and brother I thought I should share some of these yummy meals with you. Most of them you will find to be low carb creations and since I am creating them as I go I rarely measure so please go with your gut feel. We use a LOT of turkey breast in my house as my body digests turkey much better than chicken.

I figure if my 13 year old son and 4 year old daughter are asking me daily for these meals then they must be good and they are VERY healthy so enjoy!

Red Wine (Chicken) Turkey Breast

Boneless skinless chicken breast (or turkey breast)
2-3 whole garlic cloves sliced thinly (more if you LOVE garlic)
Sea Salt and Lemon Pepper to Taste
Red Wine vinegar
Olive oil
Mushrooms
Onion
Oregano (Fresh is always better I find)

I bake in stoneware but you can use whatever you have. Pour in your olive oil then place chicken inside and coat with olive oil. Slice onion, toss in garlic cloves and mushrooms. Season with your salt and pepper and oregano. Pour in red wine vinegar. Let marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour (longer the better).

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook until chicken is done. I cook about 10 minutes one side and 15 minutes the other side. (depends on how thick your breasts are). All your ingredients can vary to taste so have fun and be creative!

I’ll be serving this tonight as I am hosting family dinner at my place this evening. I’ll be serving the chicken on a bed of couscous seasoned with cinnamon and a healthy salad with homeade red wine vinegar dressing.

Enjoy!
Xoxo

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It was a good start to the weekend! I dropped Nicholas off at his friends place to do a french video project and I headed to the mall for some shopping! I had my $125 HBC gift certificate in hand and headed to The Bay.

I bought a gorgeous one shoulder black cocktail dress which was 175$ and I paid $47!!!! Oh, it’s gorgeous and sexy and I was able to get the size 8! That means I am down 4 dress sizes! I also picked up a pair of sexy new panties and headed over to MAC cosmetics for some new makeup and picked up 2 new pieces of jewlery.. AND I have $5.75 left on my gift card!!!! Pretty good eh?!

My cousin’s wedding is at the end of the month and it will be the first time I’ve been most of my Dad’s family in a very long time so I am a bit nervous. I am not very close with my cousin’s mostly because I never got to know them growing up. They were in Chatham and we lived outside Toronto then moved to Ottawa in 1992. I’ve faced a lot since I was that scared little 15 year old girl and as nervous as I am, I am excited to show off the new me! The new me includes a girl that knows who she is, confident, beautiful, survivor of cancer and ready to take on the world!

Well, I have my date tonight.. 1st date and I agreed to dinner- I never do dinner! LOL.. but I have decided to throw out some of my old rules and follow my instincts. So wish me luck!

Hugs
Xoxo

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I know, like I know, like I know! I am just so excited to share with you how my day unravelled. Yesterday evening I was asked to write down what I expected to happen today. I thought about this with my heart and here is what I wrote:

(1) Money from an unknown source
(2) To be asked out on a date
(3) Email from a friend that I was thinking about

Well… first thing this morning I opened my email and there was an email in my inbox from the dear friend that I wanted to hear from and yes; out of the blue! I took Rocky out for his walk and there was my $125 gift certificate to HBC from the CHEO dream house lottery. After running some errands I arrived home and sure enough…. I was asked out on a date to dinner tomorrow evening! Now if that wasn’t enough, I have one more story to share with you that is truly remarkable!

For months now I’ve been dreaming of this pefectly warm vacation where the water is so blue, the breeze warm, white sands but the thing that stood out the most in this dream is that it all happened at night dining in a tent on the beack with shear white fabric flowing in the wind… While I was enjoying the amazing food, sipping red wine listening to the water rush up onto the beach the table was lit with white christmas lights and an indigo illumated the white table cloth. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Well, I dreamt of this wonderful place with all the emotions attached to it once again last evening. I woke up this morning and decided that I must locate a place that would fit this description and would need to visit! I signed into my facebook this evening after an incredible day of godo fortune and low and behold there was a friend request from someone I didn’t know- this person lives in Australia. He notices that I joined the Bob Proctor group and he as well is a member of the same group. I NEVER add people onto my facebook that I do not know and this time I listened to a small voice inside me- more curiousity I think. I added this handsome young man and was instantly attracted to some pictures from Cancun. As I was scrolling through them I was awestruck that the very table- that very setting with all the feelings was staring back at me. Luck or LOA? Well, I hope by now you know what my answer would be.

I’d like to share a new website with you which from a glance seems to be rich in resources to help you seek further into the LOA. It is my new Australian friend who added me just today- the same one with the pictures from my dream. http://www.fear-to-freedom.com/ebooks-for-free

I too will be checking out Brad’s website with the free ebooks.. please let me know what you think!

Xoxo

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