Your kids will love ricotta cheese pancakes

I have a sick boy at home today, so needed to whip up some comfort food for him. I was talking to a fellow foody friend of mine, Ali, the other day about how delicious these pancakes are.

They make such a great change from the usual bland boring variety. These are made using wholewheat flour with only a small amount of sugar and of course the ricotta cheese. A nice mix of complex carbs and proteins for your wee ones.

Serve with berries and maple syrup, and just to show off, I will be using maple syrup made by my friend from her cottage north of Toronto. (thanks Paola!)

Here's how to make them:

More Tea Vicar?

I love my tea - I am British after all, and I really like any sort of tea!  Throughout the day I try to stay hydrated as much as possible, but sometimes, in the winter especially, I just want a cuppa instead of glass of cold water.  I try as much as possible to drink green tea - I not only find it delicious, but its also incredible beneficially for you.

Did you know?

Green tea has become a beverage superstar thanks to headlines trumpeting its health- boosting antioxidant, epigallocatechin- 3-gallate (EGCG). Emerging research suggests EGCG may improve endurance performance, reduce exercise muscle damage and increase fat burning during workouts.  Whole tea leaves that are ground into powder form, matcha green tea may contain the most EGCG. Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer and blood clots.

Here are some other facts I found out:

• It is used to treat multiple sclerosis.
• It is used for treatment and prevention of cancer.
• It is used to stop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
• It is used to raise the metabolism and increase fat oxidation.
• It reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart attacks by reducing the risk of trombosis.
• It reduces the risk of esophageal cancer.
• Drinking green tea inhibits the growth of certain cancer cells, reduces the level of cholesterol in blood, improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
• It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases
• It is used to treat impaired immune function. .
• Some researches show that, drinking green tea regularly may help prevent tooth decay by killing the bacteria which causes the dental plaque.

You don't even have to drink green tea, you can use it in cooking too. I even use cold green tea for my post-workout smoothies.

I also am a bit of a cup snob.  I love my tea to be a really great mug,  I think it makes it taste better.  Check out the cool cups here.

"ALSO stay tuned next week for my very first giveaway!!" 

Stinky Socks

I was recently given a sample of Purex Complete 3-in-1 to try.  Its a pretty cool concept. You throw the sheet into your washing machine where is acts as a detergent and softener, then after your put your clothes in the tumble-dryer the sheet is then your anti-static solution.

I was surprised how well they worked and they smelled pretty good too.

It looks like my friends South of the border can try a free sample by going to the Purex website - maybe this is Purex's way of getting Americans to smell sweeter :)

This same friend also shared a mother-in-law secret for keeping gym-bags odour-free: stick a laundry sheet in the bottom of your bag, or locker and the pong will just disappear - TA DAH!!!

Is it time to throw out your Louboutins?

OK so I don't own a pair of Louboutins or Jimmy Choos! BUT maybe thats not such a bad thing.  It seems that in the name of fashion, we have stopped respecting our feet and are now having to deal with the return of 'bunions!".

I think I might wear stillettos about 3 x per year, I find it difficult to stop my knees involuntarily buckling and after one or two wines, I just lose the ability to walk at all. Think it might be a good idea after reading this article to stick to my flip-flops!

see the full article here in The Times.

(photo courtesy of trueslant.com)

Vit D gets the thumbs up again!

Following on from my previous blog post on rickets caused by lack of Vit D, I have found two interesting articles that may peak your interest.

Cranky Fitness and Model Per4mance.

Before you dive in though, check out the reasons why Vit D is so great:

• it lowers your risk of heart disease
• helps prevent cancer
• cuts the risk of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders
• fights colds and flu
• improves mental health and brain function
• assist with appetite regulation
• and of course builds strong bones

how to get enough Vit D in your diet:

• supplements
• EAT!
• get enough sunlight (you only need 10 mins a day!)

NEW!!!! Group Weight-Loss Program

You may have seen Kyle Byron, Nutritionist pop up on this blog occasionally, well he has announced today that he is going to be starting a new group program for weight-loss - read below for details;

Research proves that group weight loss programs work because of the consistent visits and supportive environment. The last group I ran everyone lost about 1/2 lb a week and learned a ton about how to eat healthy. 

10 weeks. Wed night at 7pm-8pm@ 366 Adelaide West, Suite 403, Toronto.

It's $330 plus gst - that's like 70% off the 1 on 1 session cost for the same info and more support!

Each week we cover a science based weight loss topic, measure up, and talk about the barriers to eating healthy, in an open and supportive environment.

It will likely be all female. age range late twenty to 40s or 50s.

If you are interested or have any questions, please let me know.

Kyle Byron
Nutritionist
BSc Human Nutrition (Hons.)
Certified Personal Trainer
BA (Hons.)
416.459.9956
www.kylebyronnutrition.com
Expertise and support make results easy

Taking the focus off the scale

So here's my story.  After my second boy was born I still had about 5 lbs baby weight to lose.  I wasn't too hung up about it but I wanted to regain my body back and my focus was on that 5 lbs.

Over the last year and half, I have been doing some awesome workouts. I have taken my focus away from slow steady-state cardio switching to weight training programs that incorporate HiiTs,  cardio strength training (metabolic workouts like tabata).  Also moving the focus of these weight training exercises from isolation to compound functional exercises.  For example instead of doing a basic bicep curl which only works the bicep, I have incorporated chin-ups into my workout, which pretty much work every upper body muscle and gives the core a thrashing too.

So where did that leave me on the scales.  Well my nutrition is pretty good anyway, but the 5 lbs were still there, so I honed in on my eating towards the end of last year and finally got rid of the last few stubborn ones.  But really the ground work had already been done by incorporating these changes into my workouts and building up my lean muscle tissue.

I have just recently glanced at my starting measurements and body fat %, and thought why not redo them and see where I am.  And this is where my good news comes in, I have dropped 5% in body fat percentage down to 15%,  3 inches from my belly area, 2 inches from my hips and an inch from each of my thighs.

This to me is a much better way of gaging my progress. Of course its nice when the scales show a pleasing number, but when you can physically see changes in your body - whip out the tape measure instead, its a much more satisfying feeling!!!

Share you stories - anybody else had a similar experience?