Clean Eating Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Before the weather gets too warm again, I wanted to make a good heart warming beef stew. 
I have made this stew before, but this time I changed it up a little with a few of the ingredients. You can find the original recipe here. Instead of using large carrots, I used baby ones. I did not use celery, and I added in some sweet potato which made it even heartier.
It was very easy to prepare, and then being able to leave it in the slow cooker all day was a bonus.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
-1 bag of baby carrots
-1 medium onion chopped
-2 portobella mushrooms chopped
-1 medium sweet potato chopped into 1-2 inch cubes
-1 pkg stewing beef cut into 1-2 inch cubes
-2 cups clean/low sodium vegetable stock
-1 tbsp garlic powder
-1 tsp bay leaves
-1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
-1 tbsp paprika
-1/4 cup whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
-2 tbsp honey
-2 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium size pot. Add all veggies and spices and cook until onion is transparent. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. In the same pot (do not wash in between) heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add beef, honey, flour, and balsamic vinegar. Brown meat, then add to slow cooker.
3. Add vegetable stock. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. 



Vegetables after being cooked




Browning the beef




All ingredients in the slow cooker and ready to spend 7 hours getting yummy



Enjoying a bowl after a 3.5 hour Moksha Yoga workshop :)



Letting Go

I came across a very cool yoga instructor a few months ago who has been very inspirational to me. She is Swedish, but lives and teaches in Aruba. She travels all over the world teaching and participating in festivals and other events. Her name is Rachel Brathen. I have been looking into her week long retreats in Aruba, and they look amazing. It is definitely high on my bucket list! Although on the pricey side, I think it is something I would have no problem spending the money on. I am going to try a weekend retreat this summer to get me by until I can afford a big retreat like hers.


SUP Yoga- photo from: www.rachelbrathen.com

She is one of the first people in the world to take yoga off the mat and onto a stand up paddle board (SUP yoga), and she is a master of inversions.
She is always posting very inspirational words, but today she shared some words that really hit home for me:

"Surround yourself with people that give you energy. You'll know when you have a valuable person in your life; the relationship will be effortless. A real connection requires no struggle. Let go of people that are holding you back. Don't judge, don't fight. Just let them go. Life is far too important to focus on anything but love".

This is something I REALLY struggle with in life. Letting go of people and/or situations is very hard for me, especially if I feel that they are upset with me, that they feel I am not a good person, or if there is something I feel I don't have closure on. I have slowly, over the past year, started to surround myself with people that give me positive energy. For example, Mike and I began spending time with some friends last year (new friends to me but Mike has known them for a number of years) because we had the same breed of dog. Every time we were around them I felt an instant calm and happiness. We became closer over the year and were there for each other through some pretty big milestones in life. Every time I have a conversation with my friend, she is so positive, and always reassuring me that what I was thinking or feeling was ok. They are just the sort of people that make you light up inside when you are around them.
I have also started  letting go of those that are bringing me negative energy, or that I am causing myself negative energy because of a situation with them in the past. Big emphasis on started because it has still been very difficult for me. Not so much to let go of the fact that the person is no longer a big part of my life, but letting go of the situation that caused me to realize I need to let them go. I had a couple of long time friends in my life that always seemed to walk all over me. Others around me would wonder why I stayed friends with them, because they would basically get away with the worst behaviour. I eventually started to wonder the same thing. So for one friend, I wrote a lengthy letter explaining why I felt that I could no longer have her in my life. I never did get a reply, but I felt better knowing that I expressed how I had felt over the past 10 years. To this day it has never been brought up, but we still wish each other well from time to time. I thought for sure letting go of that person would cause so much turmoil in my life, and it did exactly the opposite. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I was able to make room for someone positive in my life. The other friend I just sort of lost touch with, and it hasn't affected me at all. At some points during my wedding events I would be saddened that she wasn't there, but  then I would think about all the people that had really taken the time to be there, and I completely forgot about my sadness. At times I begin to let regret and the "what ifs" creep into my mind, but I cannot change the past, and I have to believe that things unfolded that way for a reason.
There are also a few other friendships I have been working on. Reconnecting with a best friend from my late teens has been one of the most rewarding friendships for me these days. Although we never lost touch, we had lost the closeness. Now that has returned and she is an important part of my life.

Date night, celebrating our friends' marriage

Working on my relationship with my husband has been very gratifying for me. I have never felt so close or so in love with him as I do now, and I feel that is very important for us going ahead with the next chapter in our lives together. 

Mike being silly on a day date ice skating

I look forward to continue being inspired by this very positive person, and cannot wait to be able to participate in one of her yoga retreats one day!

www.rachelbrathen.com

Gettin' Beefy

After having long overdue Physical exams at our new family Doctor, it was brought to our attention that Mike is anaemic. Anaemia is an iron/red blood cell deficiency, that can turn severe if left untreated.
One of the first things the Doctor asked him was what his diet was like, and if he ate a lot of red meat. His diet is pretty healthy, but he doesn't really eat much red meat. That is my fault! I have never liked the taste or texture of red meat much, especially the hearty things like steaks and roasts. Unfortunately for Mike, this meant that dinners have not really consisted of any red meat since we have been living on our own. The Doctor advised him that he needed to add red meat into his diet, as well as trying to incorporate other iron rich foods.
First of all I felt horrible that I had been depriving his body of something he obviously needed, but now that we know I have made it a mission to cook at least 3 meals a week with red meat. This is going to be a difficult challenge for me because I have no idea how to cook it, or what it's supposed to taste like.
I went straight to the grocery store and bought a whole bunch of beef and pork, and I'm actually excited to learn how to cook it, and try some new recipes. I may even end up liking it now!

Here are a few meals I've made with beef so far:

Spaghetti with meat sauce

Added spinach to the sauce for extra nutrients

Marinated beef strips and made an Asian style stir fry

Reading Outside My Comfort Zone

I have always loved reading. Recently, I have been very inconsistent in making time to read however. Some months I will be reading obsessed, and others I feel like it is not a priority.

I also haven't been reading much with substance lately. In the last 4 months I've read the 50 Shades of Grey series, and a slew of Nicholas Sparks books. Definitely easy reading, but I think I needed that after the stress of the wedding.

An update popped up in my news feed on Facebook from Power Yoga Canada Mississauga at the end of February announcing that they were starting a Book Club. Although I missed the initial meeting, I am still able to read the book and meet at the end of March to discuss it. Just a few days ago, they announced that the first book would be Spirit Junkie by Gabrielle Bernstein. The little synopsis on Amazon.ca read:  "Gabrielle Bernstein shares the story of how she transformed her life, offering her spiritual journey as a guidebook for overcoming fear, changing perceptions, and creating a life you’re psyched to wake up for". It sounded like a good read, and so I bought it and decided I would do something outside of my comfort zone and participate in this book club. I have always been fairly shy, especially in groups of people I don't know. I would never be the one to speak out first, or offer up my opinion unless I was asked for it. I think this will be a good platform for me to not only read what looks like a great book, but also to meet some new people who are part of an amazing community.

The Book Club meeting is on March 28th, so I only have about 3 weeks to get the book read. Knowing me, I will probably stick post it notes on pages I think stood out to me so that I am ready for a proper discussion.

Can't wait to start reading!

My book just came in the mail! Amazon is SO speedy, only ordered it on Tuesday!

Yoga Love

Because February is the "month of love", Moksha asked yogis to tell them what they love about yoga.

This was a hard question to give just one answer to, because there are so many reasons why I love yoga. It is a stress reliever, a time for me to relax, great for my health, has improved my flexibility, I learn so much about myself that I can carry off my mat, it's fun, and it has brought some great people into my life. It really has changed my life, both physically and mentally.

Here is the final answer I came up with:

"I love that every yoga practice is as challenging and unique as every day in life. It allows me to let go of all of my expectations"

Every practice is completely different for me. Some days I am very flexible, others my muscles feel very tight. Some days I can stay in eagle or tree or dancers pose forever, others I have no balance. I had to learn to accept that about yoga. I can't go into a practice with high expectations. All I can do is go in and give my best for THAT DAY. Maybe I'm not able to give 100% every day, and that's OK.
The same goes for life.

Dropping expectations I have about things in my life was always hard for me. I have high expectations of myself, so when I wasn't able to meet those expectations I found that I would go into a rut or feel depressed about life. I also often have high expectations of others, which is just a disaster waiting to happen! I can't control what other people think or do, so therefore I shouldn't expect anything of them either, other than respect and kindness. Just because I like to write out long sentimental notes in my husbands cards, doesn't mean he is going to do the same, nor should I expect that of him.

Yoga has allowed me to start dropping those expectations. Instead I set goals for myself, and I don't put too much pressure on myself to achieve them, but rather motivate myself to work towards them at my own pace. I add, remove, and change my goals as time goes on to better adapt to the life I'm building.
It has also allowed me to learn to drop my expectations of those around me. This has helped me have better communication, and also learn to be more compassionate.

I could never imagine my life without yoga now, because it has been so beneficial to me.


Moksha Love photo designed by a fellow trade:)



Clean Eating Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

We eat bananas daily in our house, but sometimes I buy too many for us to consume in one week and they start to get too ripe for eating. I had the perfect amount of over ripe bananas for this recipe and absolutely love banana bread, especially when you add in some chocolate chips!

Check out the original recipe here.

I tweaked it slightly, using grain sweetened chocolate chips instead of the chopped dark chocolate. I also used a tad less honey and left out the salt. Instead of baking 1 large loaf, I also split the mix in two and make 2 smaller loaves.
Another option would be to leave out the chocolate chips, and maybe add in walnuts.

The bread was far beyond my expectations, and I pretty much ate a whole loaf myself! The other loaf I gave to a friend, who said it was "really yummy".

Definitely going to be making this one again soon!

Clean Eating Chicken Parm

Chicken parmesan is one of my favourite Italian meals. However, with the breading, the cheese, the sauce, and the pasta, it's usually a meal that is rich in calories and salt. I decided to make my own recipe for this one, and it turned out very yummy!

Ingredients for the chicken:
-2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
-1 egg
-1.5 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (plain)
-1 tbsp parsley
-pepper to taste
-grated parmesan cheese (fresh not Kraft kind)



Chicken baking in the oven


1. Whisk egg, 1/2 parsley, and pepper.
2. Mix bread crumbs and remaining parsley.
3. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture.
4. Bake for 30-35 mins at 375 degrees
  Ingredients for the sauce:-1 can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)
-1 jar strained tomatoes (no salt added-I always find these in the pasta aisle usually an authentic Italian company)
-1 tbsp garlic powder
-2 tsps onion powder
-1 tsp red chili flakes
-1 tbsp Italian seasoning (marjoram, thyme, savory, sage, basil, oregano, rosemary)
-pepper to taste
-vegetables of your choice (I used onion, mushroom, and red pepper-all chopped)
-1 tbsp olive oil
-pasta (I used Kamut penne)



Sauce simmering


1. Heat olive oil in a pot. Sautee vegetables until slightly soft.
2. Stir in crushed and strained tomatoes, and all spices.
3. Cook on low-medium for about 15 mins.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.

When chicken is ready, coat with some sauce and a little parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!




Clean eating chicken parm!