I haven’t posted much recently because, to be honest, my food has not been very interesting. Sliced fruit with nuts, roasted vegetables and quinoa, breakfast oats with yogurt, protein shakes and tuna pasta salads don’t look so great on here, and I get the idea you want to see more things like red wine cupcakes and brioche scrolls baked in tin cans.

But its those sorts of foods – simple ingredients in their most whole form to create well balanced meals – that I want to endorse more than any baking. Taking control and moving towards a fully ‘whole-food’ diet is empowering (and the long term results are so good). I can’t help but want to share it.

I say diet in the sense of the food that is our lifestyle, not one of the short term trends that are so common these days. I would love to work on making everyday, healthy food look gorgeous for this blog. But in the meantime, a Winter Tuna Pasta Salad. A clean, high protein meal for muscle growth and repair.  If you have no desire for muscle growth and are just here for the baking, the red wine cupcakes summon.

Simple Chocolate Espresso Shake
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1 Tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter)
1/2 banana
2 icecubes
1/4 cold, brewed espresso
1/2 cup milk
water

Blend all ingredients, adding water until desired consistency.

Winter Tuna Pasta Salad
Even when there are no vegetables, Jesse and I both long for nutrient rich meals, quick to whip up after a midday workout. We rely a lot on long-storage food like frozen peas, beans and canned tuna. This is just a little inspiration for a quick pasta salad. You can stop thinking of pasta as bad. Pasta is good! Buy wholegrain, and just don’t eat too much. It’s a fantastic, low fat source of good carbohydrates that can really fill the gap. Don’t like tuna? Use shredded chicken or chickpeas. Add whatever frozen vegetables you like.

Cook wholewheat pasta as per package instructions. One minute before timer is up, add a small handful of frozen peas. Drain well. Toss through 1 can of tuna, a tablespoon homemade hummus (or mayonnaise), a good squeeze of lemon juice, and a couple of canned artichokes. Garnish with feta and spring onion.

And to finish off, a few facts I learned this week..

Sodium:
The daily amount considered accurate to promote good health for adults is 1,500mg.
Most Canadians average around 3,100mg a day.
One teaspoon of salt contains 2,400mg.
One serving of your average powdered beef stock contains 1,200
-  Healthy Starts Here! Cookbook

Weight lifting:
When deadlifting, try using a mixed grip, one over and one under the bar. A common struggle for men and women alike who strive to lift heavier weights is grip strength. While my body can lift 115lbs, my wrists and hands are the first to give out long before the 3 sets are complete. Same goes with chin ups. While straps may be tempting, they will prevent the grip from ever strengthening. And as a weightlifting friend pointed out, who’s going to be pulling out the wrist straps to rescue your skidoo when it gets stuck in the snow!
-  How To Get Stronger

Knowledge is power:
I’m passionate about that. The more we know about a subject the better able we are to make excellent choices. I want my family, my friends and my country to make excellent choices about food, exercise and health. One of my favourite blogs for growing my knowledge is 100 Days of Real Food. Check out this recent article, Misleading Food Products.

Brown sugar:
It’s just white sugar soaked in molasses. The same, super refined white sugar. It frustrates me when recipes claim to be healthy by throwing in some oats to the butter-laden cookies, and replacing the white sugar with brown. Brown sugar, although it tastes better, is no healthier than white!

Planking:
When it comes to getting a toned abdomen, focus on overall core strength, not just abs. Abdominal muscles are such a tiny portion of the core and endless crunches are rather purposeless. You can indeed develop that ‘six pack’ without any crunches. Try out more compound exercised like plank braces and wood chop. For more core inspiration, check out 1 Fit Foodies plank post

Coconut cream icing:
Try frosting your next cake with whipped coconut cream. Amazing! Store a can of coconut cream in the fridge, upside down overnight. Once opened, drain off the coconut liquid (great for poaching chicken in some other time…) add a dash of vanilla bean extract and a little maple syrup and whip until thick. Wonderful on carrot cake, and I imagine, a pineapple, hummingbird cake.