HealthiER Recipe of the day...Curry Currant Hummus that will keep you humming....

I could literally eat this by the spoonful, no dippers necessary, just give me a spoon. I haven't craved something this bad since I was pregnant with my daughter and ate grainy mustard by the spoonful from the fridge.  Note to self:  In retrospect, that was probably a huge red flag that I was pregnant.

Oh my gosh, so every month at  our local Recreation Center they have a farmers market, where you can find all sorts of yummy, organic, pure goodies.  This last month I have become a huge fan and I'm not to proud to admit, a full fledged addict of one certain product.  Now, since the market isn't easily on hand, I found myself thinking about, dreaming about and craving this one yummy, "savory with a bit of sweet" treat.

Thus began my mission to find this recipe for Curry Currant Hummus and to cheaply and easily recreate it in my very own  kitchen.   Go me!

I have to say, this is so much tastier than the regular few varieties of traditional hummus's that most people make or buy at local supermarkets.  I use it a few different ways:

1) I keep a variety of veggies in the fridge so I can easily dip into it during the day for a quick snack when I can't survive until the next meal time.

2) I spread it on brown rice cakes which if you want to really live life on the edge, you could add veggies on top of as well!

3) I throw it into a wrap or pita with sprouts or veggies of choice for the day or it can go on any sandwich, panini or grilled cheese you make!

Nobody has complained that I stink yet, so that's a bonus.  And best of all, this new found yummy treat fits perfectly into my better eating, healthier living lifestyle "changes" I'm attempting to make!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

The first day of the rest of my life....

So, here it is, the first day of the rest of my life...the BIG day....and I started it by waking up in a sweat and exhausted as usual, even after a full nights sleep thanks to my BIG girl!  It's a pretty simple reason why I'm inclined to make some changes, despite the obvious health benefits, I'm tired of being tired. I'm tired of "wondering" what a different life would be like. I am going to get off my butt and make it happen...or go down in public blog flames trying.

I have a pretty basic list of things I'm going to do to start, although once these are a bit more of an easy part of my daily routine, I hope to try to do a more dedicated approach.  That being said, let's just get through the initial EASY changes first...ha, easy? Define easy. Easy for who? Think positive. Think positive Jessy. Ok, easy for me? Maybe? I hope? I know it will be torture on my daughter as she has become a picky two year old girl who only wants to eat cereal, bread, bagels, noodles, grilled cheese, tamari almonds, strawberries, blueberries, carrots and dip and "snacks" which would include anything that's made of bread or carbs OR is processed with any type of sugar. Getting her to consume vegetables, other fruit, and meat are a daily struggle in our household.  

No more candy: I've already survived one whole week of this one, which anyone who knows me would say is nothing short of a living miracle!

Drink more water: A LOT more water.  Water bottle bought and filled! Go me!

Getting back to the basics and using more WHOLE foods:  I plan to follow in a friend of mine, Hilary's,  footsteps and follow her  foodlosophy the best I can.  I think I can easily do this with the help of her back to basics shopping list, her tried and tested recipes and her "proof is in the puddin'" meal suggestions!  Let it be known, I am being realistic and using this list as a guideline aka AVOIDING pre-packaged and processed foods as much as humanly possible since I have pretty much existed on them up until this very moment! Oh lord, this is going to be harder than I think...I think?!

20-30 minutes of exercise ONLY 5 days a week as per this tip: I have always loved walking & cardio despite the fact that I haven't done much of it since the birth of our daughter! I'm hopeful this part will be easier for me because I have a treadmill in my house, I've been taking a small group training class on Sundays, and I go to the gym with a friend every Friday morning where our kids go to an awesome childcare facility in the building! Ok, now that I think about it...maybe 5 days a week is more realistic.

Yoga twice a week: Now this part should be easy thanks to my awesome husband because after hearing over and over again how tired and crappy I feel over the past couple of weeks, my husband got in his truck and drove to lululemon and bought me a yummy pink yoga mat and matching bag and THEN he drove to the yoga studio near our house and registered me for three months! And then he came home, gave it to me, and told me he'd be babysitting Anabella two lunch times a week while I go to Yoga. Now that is SUPPORT!  

*Note to self:  "I have the greatest husband EVER...this month."

No more ALL OR NOTHING plans: Due to my history of a super long battle with an eating disorder which left me hospitalized on more than one occasion and then finally on deaths door and hospitalized for 2-3 months in a treatment facility in Ontario, where my first day of recovery began. I find this part challenging. I have a "go hard, or go home" attitude when it comes to weight loss, fitness, and diets. One thing I've learned on that particular journey in my life is that a "slip up" isn't the end of the world.  A "bad day" is just one day, there's always tomorrow. Just because you make a mistake or slip off your path, it's not a reason to quit or give up.  Fight! Fight! Fight!

Try to remember what it's like to love and enjoy food as much as my two year old and my super "susie-homemaker-chefanista bff" do. 

Blueberries and licking the bowl....does it get any better  than that???

So that's the basics of what I'm attempting. I'm not trying to become Vegan based on the shopping list and links I'm following,  and I guarantee I will still eat cheese and A LOT of meat along the way because the reality is I like it...I spent my entire life NOT eating it and I'm finally at a point that I like it and ENJOY it, so I won't be sacrificing those things, I'll just be making smarter choices....

HealthIER Recipe of the Day...

So, I'm attempting to make some lifestyle changes for not only myself but for my entire family.  Of course, with a picky toddler and a meat loving english man for a husband, this feet often comes with it's own set of problems.

Tomorrow, I start Day 1 of my "official" healthier lifestyle which I will blog more about then but today, I'm cooking a new family favorite of ours called MelancauliBaby or in english a lower fat and calorie version of a Curried Cauliflower, Sweet Potato, Rice and Swiss Cheese Soup.

Now the recipe doesn't call for meat, but I add about 3 chicken breasts baked with garlic and chopped up and a cup of chopped celery as well!  Add to that some sort of bread for dipping and you've got a meal I swear any human being will love, EVEN MY HUSBAND.

Gotta go eat!