“Monday Recipe: Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon”

Happy Snowy Monday Everyone!

I picked up a bag of avocados from the grocery store this week so I have been playing with different recipes and different ways to store, cut and enjoy these nutrient-packed wonders.  Today’s recipe may be more of a weekend breakfast ( as I love smoked salmon Saturday mornings) but you can mix and match Avocado Toast ingredients in so many ways, it is amazing ( more to come on that on Friday).   For example, try topping the avocado with a little of Sherry’s Recipe from last week

(yummy spinach pesto). 

 

Enjoy!

Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

1 piece thick cut bread

½ avocado

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste

2 oz of thin sliced smoked salmon

Thin sliced red onion

Instructions:

• Toast the piece of bread until the bread in just golden brown.
• For the halved avocado, remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the avocado from the skin and place the avocado flesh into a medium bowl and mash it with a fork and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Slather the mashed avocado on top of the toast, followed by the smoked salmon and red onions.
• Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information (without the toast): Calories: 254, Fat: 17.2 g, Sodium: 692.6 mg, Carbs: 17.2 g, Fiber: 7.3 g, Sugars: 2.6 g, Protein: 12.9 g

 

Lorrie

Lorrie Mickelson M.A., B.A/BPHE, Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Pilates Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer, M.A., B.A/BPHE

 

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“Friday Education: The Benefits Of Yoga For Anxiety”

Happy Friday Everyone!

Anxiety is something that everyone has felt at one time or another in their life. For some people anxiety is something they experience often, even daily. This is a great article from the Yoga Journal on the benefits of Yoga for anxiety. This Thursday March 3rd we will be running another Yoga for Anxiety 8 week workshop. This class uses breath, postures, meditation and positive affirmations to help you manage the anxiety. This workshop is not a cure for anxiety but it gives you tools in the toolbox to help manage the affects of anxiety. If you would like anymore information please contact us.  Click here for the link.

Have a great weekend:)

Sherry Morton Jibb PTS. RYT. FIS. NWS, Certified Pilates Mat & Reformer Instructor Registered Yoga Teacher, Owner

“Vlog Of The Week: Breathing To Calm The Mind & Body”

Please click here to see our video on Breathing To Calm The Mind & Body.

Sherry Morton Jibb PTS. RYT. FIS. NWS, Certified Pilates Mat & Reformer Instructor Registered Yoga Teacher, Owner

 

“Monday Recipe: Super Healthy Spinach Basil Pesto”

Happy Monday everyone!

This week’s recipe is Super Healthy Spinach Basil Pesto. Last week I wanted to make a pesto pita pizza so I went to the grocery stores to find a pesto sauce. Every pesto I looked at had additives that I wasn’t comfortable with especially since I am trying to eat whole natural foods. So I picked up some fresh basil and made my own. It was so simple and a big hit in my house. Pesto has so much flavour that you really don’t need much. I put the 5 cloves of garlic that the recipe calls for but if you are not a big garlic fan than you may want to cut the garlic down.

Super Healthy Spinach Basil Pesto

(Vegan/Dairy Free/Gluten Free)

16 Servings

Ingredients:

2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves (2 cups)

1 big handful clean basil leaves (1 cup)

1/3 cup pine nuts

5 cloves of garlic, skin and stubby bottom part removed (cut into rough chunks)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red peppers, optional (but adds a great pop of heat)

Juice and zest of one small lemon (make sure those pesky seeds don’t get in there!)

½ cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor or strong blender until almost smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula as often as necessary.

Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth. Feel free to leave this chunky or blend it completely smooth. It’s great both ways! Store in a clean airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutritional Information per serving: Calories: 101, Fat: 10.9g, Sodium: 148.7mg, Carbs: 1.3g, Fiber: .2g, Sugars: .2g, Protein: .9g

Enjoy:)

Sherry

Sherry Morton-Jibb PTS. RYT. FIS. NWL, Certified Pilates Mat & Reformer Instructor Registered Yoga Teacher. She co-owns Balanced Motion Pilates and Yoga Studio in New Liskeard, ON.

 

“Friday Education: Health Benefits of Olives That Are Naturally Ripened”

 

Happy Friday Everyone,
I have some information for you today on the huge health benefits of eating olives. Click here to read article. Olives are one of my favorite appetizers and a  selection of different olives make a great addition to Tapas (small Spanish savory dishes typically served as appetizers).
We have to remember though that olives, although healthy are categorized as a healthy fat. And like every healthy fat exercising portion control is important for weight management.

Enjoy your weekend,
Lisa

Lisa Goddard B.A., BScOT, NWL, is a Certified Pilates Instructor with special training in Pre and Post-Natal Pilates. She co-owns Balanced Motion Pilates and Yoga Studio in New Liskeard, ON

“Blog Of The Week: Eat Like Your Grandma?”

 

 

Macleans magazine recently featured an article by Sharmista Subramanian that I found super thought provoking.  Titled “Eat like your grandma?!” the by-line read “Skip the kale salad and wheatgrass.  The healthiest food may be your family’s ancestral diet.”

As you all know, eating healthy is a big focus for us at Balanced Motion Pilates and Yoga.   For interest sake and also as a certified coach with our Balanced Weight Loss Program, I try to stay up on the latest research regarding food-related health. But I find it incredible how extreme the “research” on food can be. For example, one minute eggs are reported to be the perfect protein, the next they are causing heart disease and must be avoided.  The influence of vested interest marketing has to be taken into consideration with every swing of the food advice pendulum. Plus, the trends in what constitutes healthy eating seem to vacillate faster than anyone can keep up. In all honesty, it can feel pretty confusing when you’re trying to make educated choices. And to muddy the waters further lots of “research” that reaches the media is actually anecdotal, single-case reporting (stories of someone’s experiences) and doesn’t stand up scientifically.

 

The above article reports on an angle of nutrition study that I had never considered before. It covers the work Stephen Le, a biological anthropologist, who researches ancestral diets and food-related illness.  Le tracked peoples’ long term health and related it to whether their diet followed their ancestral pattern or had assimilated foods from foreign cultures (as is often the case with immigrants, seasoned travellers and with the epicurious).  So, as the title states, did they eat like their grandma or eat “foreign” foods? His argument is that our bodies could be genetically programmed through our ancestry to function best with fuel that is similar to what grandma ate.  The body functions best when digestion of fuel is efficient, creating the least amount of stress on the body.  When digestion causes our organs and systems to work harder disease may be more likely.  Le argues that consuming foods uncommon to our ancestors may lead to illness and potentially shortened life span.

 

So as I enjoyed my delicious Kale Caesar salad (a little plug for Arugula, my fav restaurant in North Bay) last night, I was definitely thinking about Le’s research. He does acknowledge that maybe we won’t find our ancestors’ diet appealing… As is the case with me 😖. So as I look into his ideas more closely I will continue to eat as I do now (and how I advise my clients to eat): eat everything in moderation, mindfully and pay attention to how my body responds to my fuel.  Digestive upset is a good indication that the fuel has caused stress in the body.  That definitely makes sense to me.

 

I encourage you all to check out this article in Macleans February 8 2016. It really was a fascinating read. I would love to hear from you about it.

 

Happy fuelling,

Lisa

Lisa Goddard BA, BScOT, Certified Pilates Mat & Reformer Instructor, Owner

 

“Weekly Recipe: Black Olive Tapenade”

BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE

Ingredients

2/3 cup sundried black olives (such as Niçoise) pitted
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Fresh or dried basil to taste (If using fresh, try about 3 tbsp. If using dried, try about 1tsp)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (start with about half of this amount, and add more to taste)
Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste.

Directions

To pit the olives, press the flat of a wide-blade knife down onto them. The pits are easily removed from the split olives.

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Or chop the olives very fine and add other ingredients.

Serve with your favourite crackers and raw vegetables.

Serving size 2 tbsp.

Nutritional Information per serving: Calories: 77, Fat: 7.6 g, Sodium: 112.3 mg,

Carbs: 2.2 g, Fiber: 0.1 g, Sugar: 0.2 g, Protein: 0.1 g

Enjoy 🙂

Lisa

Lisa Goddard is a Certified Pilates Instructor with special training in Pre and Post-Natal Pilates. She co-owns Balanced Motion Pilates and Yoga Studio in New Liskeard, ON

 

 

 

 

 

“Friday Education: Valentine’s Day”

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Click here to view this week’s education piece offers some different thoughts and ideas around Valentine’s Day -Enjoy!

Lorrie

Lorrie Mickelson  Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Pilates Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer, M.A., B.A/BPHE

 

“Blog of The Week: A Weekend to Celebrate!”

I do love celebrations and this weekend I have three – Valentines Day on Sunday, our Wedding Anniversary (yes, we were married on Valentine’s Day), and Family Day on Monday.  In fact, there will also be a little celebrating at Balanced Motion on Friday for Sherry’s 50th!   We are actually celebrating that all week (which is the way it should be with 50ths…to Sherry’s dismay…lol).

What I love about Family Day is that there are no presents, no cards, no chocolate, no buying ahead of time, just DOING.  This doing does not have to involve a lot. It could be laying on the couch in jammies, eating popcorn and watching movies all day or it could involve a lot of activity such as heading out to the Tri Town Ski and Snowboard Village, Temiskaming Nordic Ski Club or Elk Lake Eco Centre for Fishing to name just a few activities (check out this week’s Speaker).  There is also snowshoeing, skating, sliding, snowmobiling and any other winter activity you can think of as the conditions are perfect!  We will be ice fishing on Lake Anima Nipissing.

Now, I will still have to do a little thinking about Valentines and Anniversary cards and gifts (I sometimes do the combo Valentines/anniversary card and gift but my husband is a little sensitive around this as I have been known to wrap his birthday gift for December 22nd in Christmas wrapping- poor guy).

So, enjoy your chocolate, your time with family and friends and all that this wonderful area has to offer.

Lorrie

Lorrie Mickelson  Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Pilates Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer, M.A., B.A/BPHE

 

“Monday Recipe: Classic Green Monster Smoothie”

The Recipe of the Week is one that we have highlighted in the past but it is coming back today as an antidote for Superbowl Sunday.  Yes, it goes against my Ayruveda rules of  “warm and creamy” in the winter months but it is what I am craving this morning after the Superbowl nachos, chicken wings and Cajun fries…ugh… Even if you didn’t overindulge a little yesterday, it is a great breakfast smoothie with nut butter, banana, cinnamon and some greens!

Classic Green Monster Smoothie

Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, no bake / raw, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy free

By: Angela Liddon

To this day, Green Monsters are one of my favorite drinks for glowing skin and increased energy. If you are newbie, feel free to start off with baby spinach since its taste is undetectable, but I encourage you to experiment with kale, romaine lettuce or other leafy greens as well. Just be sure to use a sturdy high speed blender that can handle the task of blending thick greens. If your blender is on the weaker side, stick with spinach as it blends much easier.

Yield: 1 smoothie (2 cups)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk or other non-dairy milk

1 cup destemmed kale leaves or baby spinach

1 large ripe frozen banana, chopped into chunks

1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter

1 tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxseed

Pinch of ground cinnamon

1 scoop of your favorite protein powder, optional

2 to 3 ice cubes

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and enjoy!

 

Nutritional Information: 424 calories, Fat: 19 g, Sodium: 56.9 mg, Carbs: 38.7 g, Fiber: 10.5 g, Sugars: 15 g, Protein: 32.6 g

 

Enjoy 🙂

Lorrie

Lorrie Mickelson Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Pilates Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer, M.A., B.A/BPHE