Cranberry Cocoa Smoothie

What do you think of when you think of cranberries? Thanksgiving? Sugary cranberry sauce? Well did you know cranberries are practically the number 1 source of antioxidants? They are also rich in vitamin C among other vitamins and minerals, they can boost your metabolism, help prevent dental problems, urinary track infections, cancer....the list goes on!

I think we need to ditch the cranberry sauce and enjoy these bad boys more often! Despite knowing this I struggle with incorporating cranberries into my diet due to lack of recipes however not anymore now that I have created this - a sugar free cranberry cocoa smoothie!

This smoothie is nice and chocolatey with just a bit of tartness. Perfect for getting all your vitamins while getting your chocolate fix guilt free!

Cranberry Cocoa Smoothie

1/2 banana
1 handful greens (spinach, Swiss chard, kale, whatever works!)
1/3 cup frozen cranberries
3 dates
2 tbsp cacao/cocoa powder
1 cup almond milk

Combine all your ingredients, blend and enjoy!

What are your favourite ways to enjoy cranberries?

Detox Program!

Since having Zenith I have discovered that I have quite the sensitivity to wheat. I had cut wheat out of my diet for 3 months and was seeing amazing results however my doctor requested I resume eating wheat again for 3 weeks so as to be tested for celiac. Let me tell you those 3 weeks were some of the worst weeks of my life. At first it was fun eating toast and indulging a bit in treats I knew I’d never really be able to have again but by the end I was so done…I’ll spare you the gritty details but I was so bloated, tired, emotional and hated my body.

Despite working out every single day and eating 90% clean I gained 10 pounds and looked practically 6 months pregnant again. As such the day after I had my blood work taken I started my own version of a detox! This was super simple to follow and did not require starving or depriving myself in any way! Keep reading for the details below!

Lentil Chickpea Curry

If you follow my instagram @leancleanmama you may have seen this post of a lentil chickpea curry I made and here finally is the recipe!!

1 cup lentils
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 large parsnips, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup yogurt
1 inch piece of ginger
2 tbsp yellow curry powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cardamom
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup frozen green peas
1 can of chickpeas, drained

1. Rinse your lentils then place in a pot with about 3 cups of water, bring to a boil then put on a lid and simmer on low for about 20 minutes till tender, drain and place aside.
2. While your lentils are cooking take the can of tomatoes, broth, yogurt, and spices and blend to form a sauce, place aside.
3. Chop all your vegetables then sauté the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent; about 5 minutes. Add the rest of your chopped vegetables and allow to sautee for about 1 minute then add your sauce. Give it a good stir and allow to come to a boil then simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Once veggies are tender add your drained chickpeas and green peas. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes more to incorporate the flavours then serve on top of a bed of lentils. Enjoy!

One can really expand on this recipe by adding various vegetables like cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant or even serving on top of some greens mixed with the lentils!

Fitness, Recipes and more!

Hello again everyone! Long time no chat! While life is still all consuming I do want to slowly get back into blogging! However I have to admit my focus has slightly shifted from all things home related to also now include fitness and clean eating!

As such I will be doing regular posts on my latest clean eating recipes along with sharing occasional fitness tips, workouts, progress pics and the like. This is not to say my blog will be entirely consumed by fitness posts; I am hoping to slowly get back into decorating along with sharing my occasional crafts, update you on the family, and Charles will one day be updating you on our renovations! However this is a blog about my life and fitness and clean eating have now become a larger part of it and as such I wish to share that with you all as well!

I do understand if in this transition I lose some followers but I also hope to gain many more to encourage me on this new path and hopefully I can shed a little motivation for you all as well!

The last thing I want to state is that I am in no way an expert on fitness nor have I ever received any formal training in nutrition or fitness; I will only be sharing what I have found to be truth and what works for me so I am not to be held liable for anything basically. Try everything at your own risk ;)

One Day

Well I’m tired of apologizing but here I am again. Being a mother to 2 kids is exhausting; it seems like I never have any time to myself and what little bits and pieces I do have I have to spend it cooking, trying to stay on top of housework, maybe squeaking in a workout or, if I’m lucky, enjoying a shower.

With that said I really love blogging, I do, it brings me such joy creating things or decorating my home and making it a wonderful place to live in. The problem is, however, that I have practically zero time to do that in never mind edit pictures and write about it; It’s seriously depressing. I just have to accept the fact that at this stage in my life I really don’t have time for hobbies but I know that as my kids get older once more I’ll be able to dedicate myself wholeheartedly to this blog.

Until then this blog is going to remain here as a tribute to all that I have done, patiently waiting until I can pick up where we left off. I don’t know when that will be but I know I will make it happen. I may even throw up some random posts now and then so as to not lose touch but I definitely don’t have a set schedule.

Until then I bid you all adieu and thank you for having supported me through all of this.

Your Voice Matters

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Aviva Community Fund for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Would you like to make a difference in the world? Bring joy to others around you? Well Aviva Insurance is currently offering you the opportunity to do just that!

Aviva Insurance believes that when people take pride in their community it results in a safer overall environment; as such the Aviva Community Fund was created to help improve communities across Canada.

The Aviva Community Fund is giving away $1,000,000 in the form of a contest to improve such communities. After all who better knows what our communities need than the people who live in them?  People have been encouraged to submit their ideas as to how to better their communities and now it's time to vote! That's where you come in!

From now until November 5th you can vote for your favourite ideas! All you have to do is create a free account at the Aviva Community Fund's website. Once you're registered and signed in you simply have to click the "Vote Now" button on your favourite idea! You can also Like Aviva Community Fund with Facebook and use their Facebook Voting App instead. If Twitter is more your style you can also Follow @Aviva!

So how does the voting work? Well there will be a total of 3 qualifying rounds; the 2nd qualifying round is currently underway. During each round you are able to cast a total of 15 votes but you can only vote once per day. You are, however, able to vote for as many ideas as you like!

After the 3 qualifying rounds will be the semi-finalists will which feature the top 98 ideas! During the semi-finalist round you can cast another 15 votes which will narrow the competition down to the top 30 ideas. At this point the hard work is done and a panel of judges will select which ideas will recieve full funding. The winning ideas will be announced January 29, 2013.

My community is so important to me because it's where are my children are going to grow up and the structure of their environment will be a large factor in exactly how they grow and develop. As such I love any opportunity that gives me the chance to improve their environment!

Seize your opportunity today; vote and help improve your community or that of others around you! After all we are all connected!

Autumn Decorating

Ah Autumn…one of my favourite seasons! Crisp, fresh air, gorgeous colours, delightful comfort food made with apples and pumpkins and squash! I always look forward to decorating my home for Autumn but with everything going on I haven’t really been able to this year! As such I would at least love to share with you some of my favourite fall inspiration!

Let’s start outdoors on the front porch shall we? I absolutely adore these purple plants with the green and white pumpkins by Centsational Girl; what an unexpected but delightful colour combo for Fall!

I love the texture these twig pumpkins give along with the Halloween edge from the crow without being over the top!

I also adore this entryway; I love the simplicity of it with just a clustering of warty squash and some mums inside a pumpkin planter! Sadly I’m not sure where this picture originates.