Thank You!

I thought I would have time for a last blog but like you, I'm too busy with the end of the school year and the summer vacations.

I want to thank you for reading my posts, all of you! I know that the Healthy Living Corner will stay alive, that is wonderful.

Have a great summer and keep making healthy choices!

More recipes

Here are just few ideas of what could be for dinner. I did not write the detailed recipe. 

Cold entrees:

*Mix 1/2 cup of peas - 1/2 cup of artichoke heart- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa - one boiled egg - red bell pepper or green - garlic - herbs like parsley and basil.

Add homemade vinaigrette:
1 spoon mustard - 2 spoons balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar - 3 spoons do olive oil.

Note: if you use canned food, make sure you rinse the veggies very well. 

*Mix cooked rice with shredded carrots, sliced red radish, tuna with vinaigrette. Roll a tablespoon of this mix in a lettuce leaf.

*Shredded carrots with few pecans and vinaigrette 

*Red cabbage with blue cheese and pecans with homemade vinaigrette

*Sliced tomato with mozzarella, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley. You can also put it on a piece of bread and toast it for few minutes.

*A boiled egg with artichoke hearts -1 tomato - quinoa with vinaigrette and herbs.

*One avocado (keep a spoon to make a mask for your face later) with homemade vinaigrette. You can substitute vinaigrette for lemon juice.

Hot entrees:
*Salmon sautéed in a tbsp of olive oil with fresh pasta.

*Bake a layer of zucchinis - Parmesan cheese - layer of sliced tomatoes- goat cheese - sliced mushrooms - parsley - garlic -
Add 1/4 of tomato paste mixed with half and half cream and put in oven 350 for 30 to 45 minutes.

*Chicken sautéed with onions and garlic and fresh green beans

*Grilled shrimps
Mix paprika-curry-oregano-olive oil-lemon juice-turmeric and make a marinade for the shrimps. Cook on the grill.

*Pork on the BBQ

Let your pork marinate with basil/cilantro/onions/garlic/olive oil/paprika

Grill for 30 to 40 minutes.

*Lentils cooked with 3 tablespoons of mustard. Add a pinch of baking soda in the water. Add one bay leaf.

*Carrots cooked for 15 minutes in a 1/4 cup of water. Salt pepper and basil. It is really good. You can add some nutmeg (just a pinch).

Recipes

Quiche with no crust:

I compared the French and American recipes and the French one has flour and the American one doesn't. So you can chose if you want gluten free or not.
This is the link for a recipe online:
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/main-dish/quiche/crustless-quiche/
Ingredients for 1 quiche
1 cup of flour
3 eggs
 2 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup gruyere
3 leeks - Use only the white part

1/2 onion

garlic
3/4 cup of pancetta or bacon cut in really small piece.
In a saucepan, sauté the pancetta (or bacon) with the leeks and half onion and garlic that you previously diced . Keep the greener part of the leek for a soup. Salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes and let set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a big bowl, mix the eggs, milk and herbs and spices. Add the flour and the cheese. Salt and pepper. Add leeks and pancetta to the eggs.Pour the mixture over in the buttered pie pan. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes/until lightly browned on top.

Hachis parmentier:
It is simply some mashed potatoes over some ground meat cooked with onions and garlic. I like organic beef but you can use turkey. You can add (or hide) any vegetables you want. In a glass pan, put a layer of mashed potatoes, then meat, and another layer of mashed potatoes. Add Swiss cheese on top and broil it to a nice golden brown color. Kids love this dish.

Homemade Tomato sauce:

This is another great recipe where you can hide all the vegetables you want.
Sauté in a little bit of olive oil in a big saucepan:
Onion - garlic - mushrooms - celery - carrots - zucchinis- peas - tomatoes - greens beans
Add 1 big can of tomato sauce. I like the brand Cento - add one pound of organic beef meat or the meat of your choice. Although you can go meatless if you are vegan.
You may need to add 1/2 cup to a cup of water. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Let set for another 15 minutes and purée. When it is cold, you can freeze small portions in glass containers. Children love it with pasta, mashed potatoes, and rice or beans.

Green beans with tomatoes:
Sauté a diced onion with 2 cloves of garlic and 3 tomatoes cut in 4. Add parsley and cilantro, even fresh thyme is delicious. After few minutes, add fresh greens beans, about 1/2 cup of water and cook for 15 minutes or at your preference. If you do not have fresh green beans, a can will do.

Bruschetta:
Dice a tomato, a shallot (a small onion will do) and one garlic clove in a bowl. Add fresh herbs. I like fresh basil and thyme. It can be parsley and cilantro, or tarragon. Any herb, fresh or dry will do. Add a teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Let this mix set for few minutes and then drain the juice or better, keep it for your soup. 

Top a toasted piece of bread with the tomatoes. Add fresh mozzarella on top and broil until the cheese melt.
You really can top the bread with any vegetables you want. Same for the cheese. Serve with green lettuce, it is delicious.
I buy my bread at the authentic French bakery at bee caves and 71. I buy 5 baguettes at once and I freeze it. I cut it horizontally and about 3 inches long. It can be kept for a month easily. And you use what you need, no waste.

After thoughts on Fed Up

I went to see the movie and hopefully you did too. I left the theater upset and sad. It is so sad to see those children struggling with their weight and for some even diabetes. My heart goes to them and their families as we know how difficult it is to resist to the call of sugar. Yet the food industry doesn't make it easy on us. "Au contraire", they are targeting our children to sell the "pretend food" and adding sugar to any form possible. 

From the website Healthwize.com:
...The average American consumes 100 to 160 pounds of toxic, inflammatory, chlorine bleached, chemically-refined sugars every year, and this is one of the primary reasons for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Additionally, a large percentage of American foods are artificial. The chemical industry has entered the kitchen, and every processed food now contains a variety of chemical compounds.
...The massive amount of refined sugars that we eat each year destructively inflames the pancreas, kidneys, and liver. When these organs finally become dysfunctional from such abuse, people develop a condition known as carbohydrate intolerance. Carbohydrate intolerance is a condition in which a body can no longer properly metabolize carbohydrates and sugars."

You can read the full article here:

http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/252-special-investigative-report-curing-diabetes-naturally-and-holistically.html

It is never too late to change your life around. Clean your fridge and your pantry and start a new challenge, a new life. Change your relation with food by honoring it. Making time to prepare the food that will help you to heal you is a part of the process to becoming well.

After few weeks, it won't be a challenge anymore and you will feel energy going thru your body. Then the pounds will shade off. 

Here are some ideas to start your new eating habits. Make everything from scratch, do not use already made packages. Be in control of what is in your food. And keep it simple!

Breakfast:

Always start your meal with a full glass of water.

1/2 cup of homemade oatmeal

a bowl of fruit salad

Snack on almonds not roasted and unsalted if you feel that you are hungry. Drink another glass of water.

Lunch:

In a plate, put a little bit of tuna/cucumber/shredded carrots/tomatoes/quinoa and add some parsley. Pour a tablespoon of homemade vinaigrette. Do not use the pre made sauces. 

Eat a cup of beans or lentils.

add fruit of your choice

Diner:

Start with half of grapefruit

In a saucepan, put a tsp of oil, then add  an onion/garlic/zucchinis/tomatoes and parsley. Once cooked, make room in the middle and cook 2 eggs. 

A plain yogurt and add fresh strawberries

I have a lot of healthy recipes that I can send you if you contact me @

marielledessureault@hotmail.com

Stay healthy so you can enjoy your life

Movie FED UP reminder

Please make time in your busy agenda to see the movie FED UP. It opens tomorrow and you can see it at Regal Harbor 8 at Great Hills theater at 12.05pm, 2.20pm, 4.40pm, 7.10pm, 9.45pm

This is a documentary rated PG and last about 1h 30 min.
Here is the link for the trailer:
https://movies.yahoo.com/video/fed-trailer-161051027.html

I hope you will decide to go see this movie, it will change your life.This is a critical subject that everybody needs to know about. 

There is also this great documentary on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pEkCbqN4uo

Have a wonderful and healthy weekend!

Eat Clean

I believe you can improve your eating habits and choose healthier options, cut back on refined grains, added sugars, salt and unhealthy fats. Watch the portion you eat, I promise, you will feel a lot better.

Limit your intake of process food!
It is so important since they are loaded of excess sodium. Look at the ingredient list on the packages. When you see a long list of ingredients that you have never heard of or can't even pronounce, it can't be good for your body, therefore your mind.
Instead, make homemade version of your favorite recipes. Increase your intake of vegetables, cut down on saturated fats but keep in mind that your cells need good fat that you find in fatty fish, nuts and oil. These good fats can help raise your good cholesterol, while saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease.

Cut back the sugar!
This is a serious threat to your health and weight. Look on the cereal box and see yourself how much sugar it has been added. I just will remind you that the AHA recommends no more than 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons for men. Just a soda a day is more that you need: 40 gr of sugar in a 12 oz can of coca cola is about 10 teaspoons.

Watch your daily intake salt 
Too much salt increase your blood pressure. Look how much salt is in the food you buy. Choose a can of green beans with no salt added if you don't buy them fresh.

Eat more vegetables and fruits
It will boost your immune system!

Drink water
Avoid all refined fruit juices and sodas.

Have a great week end!

A movie that everybody must see

On May 9th, the movie "Fed Up" is coming out and I recommend and urge all families to watch it. Mark your calendar!
Here is a link to the trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCUbvOwwfWM&feature=youtu.be

There is another documentary that I really liked. It is called "the weight of the Nation". It is available on youtube.

Have a great Easter!

Keep it simple

If you don't have much time to fix dinner, keep it simple in your kitchen. 

I often say that you don't need fancy tools to make a healthy and tasty meal. A good knife and 2 cutting boards, one for the meat only, a good sauce pan and a skillet and you are all set!

Of course, now you need healthy ingredients. When doing your groceries, again keep it simple. 

Buy fresh vegetables and fruits. For the meat, if you buy certified organic meat, you will notice the difference. Unlike natural and other eco-label claims, only organic offers government-backed assurance that products are grown and processed without the use of toxic chemicals, antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. 

I know, organic is more expensive. But look at it this way: if you skip buying the things you don't really need, (juices, chips, sauce already made, the unhealthy breakfast cereals loaded with sugar, the yogurt that have 22 gr of sugar, but still low fat, etc...), you really save enough to buy organic. 

By buying less pre made food and more healthy whole food, I save a good amount of money. It is amazing how many products you can find in stores that you don't even need. 

So with those savings, I can afford to buy organic vegetables more often and so will you.

Now that we have all these great and healthy ingredients, let's make dinner. 

Yesterday, I made some sautéed turkey cutlets with shallots and spinach and a purée with sweet potato and carrots. Then we had goat cheese on crackers.

Cut out a sweet potato, 2 carrots and 2 garlic cloves. Boil until cooked. Keep the water to make a soup later. Mash the ingredients together and add some butter, salt and pepper. I like to add fresh parsley on the top.

Cut in small cubes 2 turkey cutlets and make sure the meat is well dried before placing it in a saucepan. When the meat is well dry, it is easier to obtain that nice brown color. I like to add some fresh garlic and shallots in the saucepan. Shallots will give a subtle smoky taste. 

Leave it until it is well browned. This should take about 5 minutes. Only then stir the meat, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and let it cook about 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let the meat rest for few minutes before serving.

Now chese time. 

Crumble 4 oz of fresh goat cheese in a bowl. Combine the following:

1/4 of red bell pepper sliced in very fine cubes

1 teaspoon of chives (dried or fresh if you are lucky to have some), 

1 teaspoon of fresh parsley 

1 teaspoon of fresh basil

1 tablespoon of olive oil

salt - pepper

I sprinkle this with tomatoes, lettuce, even pasta. Otherwise with crackers, it is delicious.

Enjoy your week end,

Hyperactive children

Healthy Living also means peaceful home.

I was talking to a friend recently and she was exhausted because her 3 year old boy was restless. I found this website and I want to share it with you. All the good advices are not only for hyper kids, but for all the children and us, poor parents!!!

It is truly helpful, concise and yet simple... on paper. But give it a try! It's worth it.

If you don't have time to read it, here are the focus points:

• Set clear rules, consequences and boundaries 
• Establish regular routines 
• Free time to take a trip to the park, read a special book together.
• Exercise is a very beneficial way to help refocus energies. It is also helpful in improving mood function
• Children respond to praise, and are more likely to seek your attention by doing something good, if they are reinforced when they behave well. 
• Avoid visual overstimulation
• Don’t fault a child for what he or she can’t control

Even though all these recommendations sound familiar to you, it is still good to revisit them once in a while. I know it helps me to stay on top of it. And let me know what you think. Thanks!

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-some-tips-for-dealing-with-hyperactive-kids.htm