Ahhh, Vacation

I just returned from 10 wonderful days on the ocean in Tofino with my three favourite boys. Our days were filled with daily runs, beach walks, good food and relaxing. My boys were perfectly happy to spend hours climbing in the driftwood and running on the beach. I'm happy to sit on a log with a good book, looking up at them from time to time and loving that they aren't using anything but their imaginations to create hours of fun.

The ocean always brings me such perspective. On the second day, I was running on the beach on a misty morning with the ocean waves crashing beside me. I couldn't hear anything but the pounding surf, and suddenly the greatest sense of peace washed over me. I had the thought that nothing I worry or stress about really matters. I stumbled on a quote yesterday, in my horoscope of all places, that drove my entire feeling home "You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything". John Maxwell. To me, that just gave such a feeling of calm and of being in the present moment, enjoying my boys.

Between the ocean air, the lush rainforest and the sound of the ocean, I have returned to Kelowna feeling rested and healthy. Sadly, the peaceful feeling is trying to leave. But I am trying to maintain balance and hang on to my perspective, being present in the moment so that I'm not half dietitian/half mother at any given moment.

Another product I love

I really don't like recommending products or supplements to my clients. It gives me an uncomfortable, unethical,  Dr.Ozzy feeling and I want no part of it. So that's why if I tell you about something, I promise it's only because I actually like it. I would also never claim something to be a miracle or magic bullet.

For years now, I've struggled to stay asleep all night. And I do everything I'm supposed to. I avoid caffeine, eat well, exercise, stretch before bed, keep a list of whatever may be playing on my mind and disrupting sleep. But still, when I wake in the middle of the night, I often stay awake for a long time.

Recently a friend recommended humic acid and fulvic acid.   If you search on Google, you see claims that it can heal just about everything. Here are a couple of links.

http://livewell.jillianmichaels.com/benefits-humic-fulvic-acid-5529.html

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/benefits-of-humic-acid/

Our friend was so impressed with the benefits that he has created a company called Humivita and now sells the product. My husband and I were skeptical (as with all things like this), but we trust our friend and both decided to give it a try. Within a couple of weeks we began to notice subtle changes.

For starters, I had no cravings. This is very strange for me, as I've spent my whole life having cravings. Sometimes for healthy foods, sometimes for less healthy foods. That seemed like it, but a couple of months after that I started sleeping better. Even if I was woken by a kid in the night, I'd fall asleep quickly and sleep hard until morning. I still wasn't totally convinced, but I recently ran out of the product and thought I'd stop taking it to see if I noticed any changes. It's been about a month since I stopped taking it, and I'm waking up again at night and staying awake. I also realized I hadn't needed to use the bathroom at night, which I have for decades. And now that I'm off it, I have to use the bathroom again. To me it is worth the price for how well rested I was.

If you want to try for yourself, you can visit www.humivita.com/greg

Disclaimer, my husband now sells the product, but no pressure to buy from him. I'm not Dr.Oz.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas with #Herbamare

This is almost too simple to call a recipe, but I know from failed attempts that getting perfectly crunchy chickpeas can be difficult.

1 1/2 cups chickpeas (or one can)
1 Tbsp olive oil, drizzled over top
Herbamare- any flavor- to taste (1/2 tsp)

Pat chickpeas dry and place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, or in a 9x13 cake pan. Drizzle oil over top, shake on Herbamare. Toss to coat. Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven and taste, adding more Herbamare if needed.

I enjoyed them over a salad and my kiddos liked them in their pasta.

Training Begins

I'm officially into week two of training for the Wine Country Half Marathon here in Kelowna.  With my husband away this week, I took advantage of a cancellation this week to sneak in a 14km run. Sunday was my 12km, so not huge distances, but big for me considering the last few months have been all about 5km runs. And with only three days between the two big efforts, I'm happy that my legs felt strong.

The Girls on the Run group I was assistant coach for wound up yesterday. So amazing to watch these girls finish the 5km event we put on for them. Watching them accomplish their goal after 10 weeks together was such a joy! If you aren't familiar with the program, check out www.girlsontherun.ca.

We are going to be going on holiday, just the four of us, at the end of next week. I'm extremely excited to have some down time with my three favourite guys. We're staying in a cabin by the ocean, cooking our own meals, and walking and running as much as we can. I've left the 10 days we're gone blank on my training schedule, but without other options, I'll be running shorter, more often.

When we return, it's back to training. Speed work and hills will become part of my weeks. Summer will be upon us, so fruit, raw desserts and lots of beach time will be too!

#Herbamare Bloggers Challenge

I'm taking part in a blogger challenge featuring Herbamare. If you aren't familiar with it, herbamare is sea salt infused with 12 different organic herbs and vegetables. It has great flavor and a little goes a long way. They also have a zesty option, which has horseradish in it, and a salt free version as well.

The question they would like answered? How do you like your #herbamare?

Well, answered quite easily. Any way. It's great on salads, popcorn, cucumber slices, in sauces, my kids like it on pasta...Where ever you would use salt, herbamare is great. You can use less because of it's great flavor and you can feel good that it has been processed without chemicals and that there are no additives, preservatives or MSG. It's also non-GMO and organic.

I think the real challenge would've been, How don't you like your Herbamare! This is too easy.

Most Delicious Kale Salad

Kale abounds at the market and in my garden. There is no shortage of praise for this leafy green, which is a great source of calcium, iron, folate, vitamin C, fibre to name just a few.  Kale is so delicious in so many ways, but this salad is a favourite!

1 large bunch of kale, tough stems removed

1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

2Tbsp miso paste

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup warm water

Whisk it all together, pour over kale and massage into leaves.

Enjoy!

Some Updates

It's been a while since I wrote an update on things. So what's been up lately?

Spent a weekend in Vancouver for my husband to run the marathon. As usual, we walked a lot and ate well. If you're in Vancouver, the Naam is a must for breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything. They are open 24 hours! www.thenaam.com

Mudd, Sweat and Tears happened here May 10. I added it to my year when I was trying to come up with New Years goals. My neighbour and friend said I should join her family team. I kind of dropped the ball on the training, and my upper body was weak, but I managed the 6km, with the help of my team and other competitors. I really enjoyed the physical challenges! But mud for the sake of mud, cold temperatures and no recovery food afterwards made it something I likely won't do again.

However, I'm inspired and have incorporated upper body exercises into my next training plan, which starts next week for the Wine Country Half! I'm starting early, to go farther sooner, so when we take our family holiday to Tofino this summer, I can scale back. 

Last update, my husband and I decided to take five days and avoid added sugar. It's eye opening when you see where sugar is hiding, even for me! I'm managing fine except for my morning chocolate chips! Who would've thought that a couple tablespoons of dark chocolate a day would make my morning? I even had a caffeine withdrawal headache from that little bit. (Max 20 mg of caffeine vs 75-150 mg in a cup of regular coffee).

We are doing lots of big salads this week. Stir fry with the bok choi and pak choi we got from the Farmers market, and asparagus too. A great way to feel great and keep any sweet cravings at bay!

So that's that!