iheartwellness.com

Sipping On Greena Colada’s and Strap Perfect Review

Posted on 14. Jul, 2010 by kris.

Hey Everyone!

Happy Mid-Week!!  From Wednesday on, everyone seems to get progressively happier.  As I watch everyone evolve in smiles and cheers over the 3 days, I can’t help but chuckle.  I think it is so neat to watch people transform into “weekend mode”.  There are no worries in “weekend mode” and especially SUMMER weekends!!

Yesterday was a “getter done day”.  I didn’t leave the house until late afternoon when I headed to my Detox appointment.  Last October I did the 12 sessions on the detox machine and had to follow as strict diet.  This detox machine removes the toxins, impurities and cellulite from your  body without breaking down the muscles.  In fact, it stimulates the muscles for toning as it removes the bad.

Every few months I will try to get back in for a “maintenance” appointment  Gotta keep the cellulite at bay

I will post a short video on this tomorrow!

Thank you all for liking my Favourite 2 Things from yesterday.  I think I could put RPatz on my Fave list everyday, but I will resist.

Today’s 2 Favourite things are:

Strap Perfect – The Ultimate Bra Strap Solution!

Holy moly, do these little plastic suckers work or what!?

The other day Michelle (sister) and I were out and about and decided we wanted to hit up Staples (the stationary store) to look for day planners….and sticky notes.  Anyways, on the way to the sticky note section we walked past an As Seen On TV wall and there they were – Strap Perfect boxes lining the wall.

We both have wanted these for some time now.  I think it is FAB that you can rock your favourite non racer back bra with any racerback tank, top, or workout gear now. PLUS, hello, who doesn’t want the extra “oomph” and cup size?!

I am all over these Strap Perfects right now.  I used mine for the first time yesterday and love, love, LOVED it.  I found it very comfortable and it stayed in place very nicely  I wear a lot of racer back tanks during the summer and always find that the cross back bra’s never fit me properly.  Now I have the best of both worlds!

Greena Colada’s!

For breakfast yesterday I made something new.  I was flat out of my usual Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer, so I decided to use some Tropical Tango Shake & Go instead!

Oh.My.Goodness.  I rocked 2 tbsp Tropical Tango, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1 cup hemp milk, 2 handfuls spinach, some sprinkles of unsweetened coconut.

Ummm need I say more?  I was chillaxing on a patio in Maui the whole time I was drinking this. No, really I was on the couch reading Eclipse, just as good

Today’s plans will include some Gym time, Online Work, Working with my sister, Laundry and Eclipse!!!

Have you ever used Strap Perfect??  Do you ever purchase “As Seen On TV” items??  What was the last “crazy” item you purchased?

To Your Glam Life,

xxoo

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Does All happiness depend on a leisurely breakfast?

Posted on 28. May, 2010 by kris.

Happy Friday Everyone!

This week has just flown by and now the weekend has arrived and so has SATC!  I must hear from everyone how it was?  I am heading there this weekend and am so stoked!

This morning I woke up and made my fruit salad with “grass” sprinkled on it and decided to sit at the kitchen table alone, and really enjoy every bite.  Normally I high tail it to the computer to check emails when eating breakfast, but this morning my soul was screaming at me to take some “me” time.  So I listened.

Listening to myself is something that is really new to me.  I have always known when not to push myself to far, but I never really understood how I really know what I need and want by the voice in my head and the feeling in my heart telling me.  I seemed to have pushed this voice a side for many years.  Well it is louder now and I am listening!

So I sat and enjoyed every little bite of alfalfa covered fruit and my warm tea  Wow did it feel good!  I reflected, gave thanks (so important to do daily!) and just planned my day.

By the time it was time for me to sit at my computer I felt at ease.

I believe it is so important to take the time in your day to sit and be thankful, forgive, and give yourself a good self talk pep talk, but I have never done it first thing like I did today.  What a difference it has been for me

Through my studies on forgiveness I have found out it is important to everyday sit quietly and write out in your journal everyone you want to forgive and why you want to forgive them.  I am thinking that first thing in the morning would be an awesome time to do this when you are fresh and the least stressed out.  Normally I write things down in my journal without me even know I am writing them.  Subconsciously I knew I want to forgive that person, or myself even for things in the past.  Your chest will feel light when you have done this a few times, I promise!

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.  ~John Gunther

On other topic - my friend Melissa recently went to Maui and hooked a sister up with some Kona Coffee! I am in heaven and I am going to bust this bag open now!  Fresh Hawaiian coffee anyone??

I read somewhere that Kona Coffee is less acidic than regular coffee, so I am excited to get my drink on this a.m.

Do you eat any meals alone away from the computer?  How do you start your morning?

XXOO
Kris

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Green Everything!

Posted on 04. May, 2010 by kris.

Hi Everyone!  Happy Tuesday!

Wow, have I been a lazy one today.  I didn’t even make it to the gym this a.m. so this means I will have to tack on another 20 minute cardio session to my workout tomorrow.  Normally I wouldn’t worry about it, but today has been a day full of carbs.  ;)

I had my morning bowl of fruit sprinkled with Alfalfa Powder and Flax Seeds.

Then I was craving “substance” like pancakes! It just so happened I just finished reading the blog post on the Perfect Protein Pancakes on Fitnessista.com, so I took the recipe and made them sans eggs.

You can find the recipe here - all I did was used a flax egg in replacement of the egg along with 1/2 banana mashed.  And a tad more almond milk.

My pancakes turned out green!  I used my vanilla chai flavour Vega protein powder which has a light green hue to it…..

It did look like a Dr. Seuss breakfast, but they were very tasty and hearty  Ryan had some after he worked out and loved them!  There a keeper.

After my carb feast I had some Energizing Lemonade!  This juice really gets your blood flowing, I just love it!

Later in the day I had my usual salad (surprise, surprise…) and then decided to make some of Averie’s No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls!

You can find the original recipe here!  I used my Vanilla Chai Vega Protein powder (Yes, these balls were green too!) instead of Coconut Flour and used Almond Butter instead of Peanut Butter!  YUMMM these are totally curing my cravings today!

Tasty small snacks like this are great to have in the fridge for days like today.

Well I should really get myself off of my couch and clean this place!  I may actually feel like tackling that treadmill after? The best way to get out of a lazy day is to do something! Take some deep breaths and go through your mental list of what you are grateful for today!

*** I am getting lots of emails lately asking me questions!  I thought it would be fun to answer some questions live on the blog!  If you have any questions for me, please email me at iheartwellness@gmail.com

What is your favourite “comfort” food when you are needing to feel comfy??  What do you love eating on your lazy days?

XXOO
Kris

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Benefits of Alfalfa Powder

Posted on 03. May, 2010 by kris.

Happy Sunday!

Are you all having a wonderful weekend so far?

Yesterday we headed to the The Wellness Show and had a fabulous time!  I love shows like this because so many of my favourite products are all under one roof and they are all on sale!

We picked up a huge bag of all natural dog treats for $5!  Hudson loves them

Eating an Alkaline diet is very important to me and we found the Salulleza stand there, we ended up going back twice and chatting with people there for a while.  We know how to make friends in the health community!  We could have gabbed for hours

They are a German company and their products are AMAZING!

We bought some AlkaHerb tea, which we are to drink 2 litres a day and this will help with gentle detoxification, alkalizing the body and ridding of the horrid cellulite! They say in 5 weeks it can be gone!  If this is the case I will tell you all!

The last wonderful item we got was Raw Alfalfa Powder which is my new fave thing right now!  Alfalfa Powder is so good for you. I am always down for trying new things that are green  I feel if it is green it must be fabulous for you!  Right?!

Here is what I found on the Suede Hills site:

Alfalfa (which means “father of all foods”) is a member of the legume family – i.e. peas and beans – and has many other uses and benefits too….

* alfalfa contains 8 essential digestive enzymes and 8 essential amino acids.
* helps in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
* has cured stomach disorders.
* supports colon health
* is a detoxifier that cleanses the liver and bloodstream.
* used in treatment of menopause.
* is considered a healthy source of chlorophyll, beta carotene, calcium, potassium, iron and zinc as well as vitamins A, B1, B6, C, D.E, and K.

Always check to see that the alfalfa you buy is from a reputable organic grower. Commercially grown alfalfa is generally chemically treated.

After our walking around the show and our purchases we decided to head outside and enjoy some rays

Our view:

My View – Ryan on his phone…

So if you are wondering what I have made with my new Green Powder – I made two things so far. Breakfast and my snack.

Breakfast was a bowl of cut up apples, bananas, grapefruits with flax meal, pumpkin seeds and a tablespoon of Alfalfa Powder.  Very “green” tasting  Gave me wonderful energy for my morning!

My snack this afternoon was this Energy Lemonade recipe that I found on a site called WeLoveSuperfoods.com!

Energy Lemonade:

1 Pear (I used an apple)
1 Cucumber
A little bunch of mint leaves
1/2 lime or to your taste

DIRECTIONS: Juice all the ingredients (except Greens). Add Greens to juice, enjoy! If you want to use a blender, blend all ingredients together and strain the mixture through a nutmilk/sprout bag. This is high-energy, healing, sweet spring lemonade.

Well I am off to wash my hair with my new shampoo! Whenever I buy something new like a new shampoo or face wash it is a must that I use it right away!  The good news is I was going to wash this “do” anyways since it is major frizz after being caught in a rains storm running out of Whole Foods with my groceries  Yuck, I hate the rain.

I purchased this Yes To Carrots ( I am ALWAYS Yes to Carrots ) shampoo! Has anyone tried it??

What did you do this weekend?  Do you use powdered greens?  How do you eat them?

XXOO
Kris

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Happy Earth Day!

Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by kris.

Happy Earth Day All!

I hope you are all having a great day!  We all need to take the time today and really soak in the beauty of our natural surroundings and do a little step toward a greener way of living.  I just got back from a walk with the pooch and enjoyed the snow capped mountains that are still in the distance, the warm breeze on my face and the beautiful cherry blossoms that are fluttering all around right now!

I just love cherry blossoms and will have some in my yard when we get our house!  The smell of them puts me in a trance and brings me right back to my childhood.  So sweet and yummy!

Hudson and I enjoyed a half hour walk around the neighbourhood and took the time to enjoy this Earth Day!

I was very conscious of turning the lights off when I left a room and I hung all my laundry instead of using my dryer.

Tasty Eats!

Yes, I had another bowl of cereal from breakfast this morning.  I can’t get enough of this stuff!

Lunch was a large salad with evoo and apple cider vinegar dressing

My snack was a vega smoothie

Some cucumbers

And dinner will be a Mexican dish of some sort  I will throw something together with Salsa!

I got my hair did today!  Just a wee trim.  Gotta treat your hair right ladies and make sure you trim every 6- 8 weeks

We are off to a meeting / gathering tonight, so I must go head and make some dinner!

Did you take time today to enjoy the earth and some fresh air?

Have a great Earth Day All!

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Cereal Anyone?

Posted on 19. Apr, 2010 by kris.

Happy Sunday Everyone!!

Wow!  I loved all the personal emails I received regarding yesterdays post!  I absolutely love talking to people about goals and dreams. It makes life so much more fun when we all have a dream, doesn’t it?  hehe!

I hope everyone had a rockin weekend!  I sure did!

Saturday night was Playoff Hockey night and we were cheering for our Canucks, but unfortunately they lost in OT  Better luck on Monday boys!

This morning I made this amazing, super easy and wonderfully healthy, unprocessed CEREAL! You all know that cereal is my weakness.  I could eat boxed cereal for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.  I actually have to keep myself from stopping in the cereal isle as I will purchase it.  If I have it in the house I will graze at it all day.  The only time I get boxed cereal is when we are on vacay and even then when I get home I must break my addiction!

Sooooo I decided to redo a recipe I found in the Thrive Diet book to ingredients I had in my cupboards and BADDA BANG BADDA BOOM this delicious cereal was born:

Apple Honey Oat Cereal:

2 cups quick oats
1 cup flax meal
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 apple (cut up into small pieces)
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 – 1/2 cup oil (I used evoo to keep it clean)

Mix all above in a bowl and spread on a parchment lined cookie tray.  Bake at 300 for 50 – 60 minutes!

Cool and serve with Almond Milk.

This recipe can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

This cereal is so yummy.  The down side?  I EAT IT ALL DAY.  Just like my boxed cereal

I love having new breakfast on Sundays  Sunday’s are usually our pancake day but the sun was shining and I felt a little like clustery, cold cereal

FITNESS!

Week 2, Day 4 – Leg and Ab day today!  This workout plan I am following from Fitnessista.com rocks the party!!  Lookin’ good

**TIP – Every time you pass a mirror – tell yourself “I love you” It make a world of a difference in your day

AMAZING GIVE AWAY!  LoveVeggiesandYoga.com is Giving Away Custom Jewelry! Win a Beautiful Necklace & Enter Now!

How was your weekend??  Do you make homemade granola or cereal??

XXOO
Kris

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Easter Fun Day

Posted on 05. Apr, 2010 by kris.

Good Morning Everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful Monday morning.  Well it isn’t so bueno here this morning weather wise, but besides that it is going very smooth this a.m.

Ryan and I are heading out for a morning coffee date and some running around!  Sephora here I come.  I need some new facewash and as mask

How was everyone’s Easter?

Here is a recap of what my day was like:

Breakfast at the ‘rents place!  My sister and I made Averie’s Vegan Pancakes, which were pretty delicious, minus the issue I had with them sticking to the pan  The rest of the family enjoyed my mom’s famous waffles, with blueberries, raspberries and pure maple syrup.  Mimosas were placed next to our breakfast along with a nice cup of coffee….such a beautiful treat!

After breakfast was a little Egg Hunt.  My parents are renovating their house, so the eggs were hidden amongst building materials, covered sofa’s, and all that jazz.  During the renovating process, my dad is cleaning out different areas of the house and came across this t-shirt I had gotten in my Easter basket probably 14 years ago.

My mom painted this shirt and my sister and I each got one that year.  I can’t believe this kids size L still fits me (somewhat).  So what better way to kick off an Easter hunt than to rock the same shirt I did back when I was a Tween

Once all the eggs were found, Ryan decided to enjoy the nice weather and wash our ride!  It was desperately in need of a cleaning and I am so happy to see my baby all shiny again

I enjoyed my word searching

And some chocolates!

Dinner was at Ryan’s family’s place where we enjoyed some Chinese food and good company (forgot the camera at home).  Ryan and I usually bring our own meals over as it saves time and hassle for others, so I quickly whipped up a salad with some hummus and packed it up for the ride to the family’s house.

After dinner, we put out some snacks, popped in a movie and relaxed…….just what we needed

What did you do for Easter?  Is there memories you have of being a little one at Easter?

XXOO

Kris

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Day 1 of my 3 week 7 day vegan meal plan

Posted on 09. Mar, 2010 by kris.

Hello Everyone!

Happy Tuesday to you all!  Today is a very special day as it is my sisters birthday and we are going to enjoy the day together and then the family is heading out to dinner tonight.  I just love birthday celebrations!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments and emails on my last post on the quick and easy red soup and of course Hudson’s new accessory. He loves the attention

I have been lacking these last couple days on the baking.  I am sad about this because baking is my way to escape and relieve stress and I decided for 3 weeks I was going to stick to this 7 day vegan meal plan that I found on the Vega site and commit to it.

My reasons for following this diet was really to see if I noticed a difference in my energy.  Following a vegan diet isn’t just about eating potato chips because there is no meat, but I have noticed over these last few months that it is really important to get variety, proper protein, and nutrients. The vega brand is my favorite and I know they have their stuff together when it comes to a well rounded vegan diet, so I figured heck, I will give it a try and see if they way the food is being combined makes a difference in the way my body absorbs it.

I learned that when you combine pumpkin seeds with a citrus fruit your body will absorb the iron way better! Who knew?!

I am on day 2 today and it feels really great to have all my meals already planned!  On Sunday I made a list of everything I needed and loaded up!

Yesterday was a little difficult as I am such a snacker…..I wanted to eat cookies, and more fruit and I said “No” I am sticking to this so I drank a lot of water and tea’s when I felt my inner snacker appear!  It was hard, I am not going to lie.

The funny thing is through these last 2 days I have noticed that I eat a lot just because it is there and I might not even be hungry at the time. Do you find that with yourself? Being at home is different than when daily office trips were made as my lunch was always set and packed and had no option to add to it.  But now, wow, I could graze all day when I am home!

Day 1 of my challenge:

Breakfast – 3/4 cup of quinoa with almond milk and 1/2 sliced apple sprinkled with cinnamon

Lunch – 1/2 apple, orange, and banana with vega fruit “dip” – 1/2 serving vega meal replacement and 1/2 tbsp hemp seeds.

Snack – 3 (I had 5…shhh) dates with nut butter

Dinner - 3 cups salad with 1/2 cup broccoli, 1/4 cup chick peas. 1/2 avocado.  Dressing was 1/2 tbsp evoo and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar.

Snack – 1/3 serving vega with water

Day 1 down and now onto day 2!

Surprisingly I had a lot of energy yesterday and I went to the gym in the morning worked the treadmill out and my weights and then went down to the treadmill AGAIN with Ryan in the evening!  That is a lot of treadmill for me in one day

Have you ever followed a set meal plan?  Do you have any tips for that snacky feeling that pops up between meals?!

XXOO

Kris

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The Best Vega Products!

Posted on 17. Feb, 2010 by kris.

Hello Everyone!

Happy Wednesday to you all!  It is a sunny spring feeling day here today and I am soaking up every ounce of it as I am sitting on my glorious patio sipping my warm morning lemon water.  I just can’t get over how lovely it is outside!

Thank you ALL for the wonderful comments on Hudson’s funny video. You know that video was posted late Sunday night and has already gotten 400 views!  He is a movie staaaaa!  Ego is filling his head right now….

I was blessed with a friendly FedEx man at my door yesterday dropping me off some goodies from my most favourite company ever – Sequel Naturals – VEGA!

They sent me all of these beautiful and Beneficial Products:

I toted the Whole Food Vibrancy Bar along with me to an appointment today.  It was delicious, not too sweet and kept me full all the way until dinner.  Plus it has some great protein in it

AHHHHHH *angels singing* – I took this pack of Vega Sport  before my Jackie Warner workout last night and all I can say is WOW – This stuff really got my body moving.  I was kind of tired before the workout, took a glass of this before I headed out the door and it instantly gave me full energy for the best workout I have had in a long time. This will be a regular purchase for me from now on.

Just think – you are helping your body naturally with this product and getting optimal workouts = Perfection!

Ryan and I did pick up Vega’s newest product Vega Sport Protein - at the local health food store the other day and fell in love with it.  I haven’t been able to find it at too many stores yet, but found that you can order it online here.

Both flavours were very nice, but I am a sucker for vanilla….so it won my heart!

This is perfect for after workouts!

(Source)

Well there it is, the best products out there for Vegan’s looking for the correct amount of vitamins, proteins, energy, repair, and alkaline forming foods for their bod. This company has thought of it all.  I am very huge on eating an Alkaline diet as I have mentioned before, and this brand is a staple for me.

For anyone who is just starting off with going Vegan or introducing an Alkaline diet, please sign up for the Thrive in 30 challenge, you will not regret it….actually you will thank me for sending this link to you.  It is very informative and easy to follow!

A lot of my recipes are made with vega products, including my Vegan Protein Bars that I picked up off Averie’s site

I made some killer veggie burgers last night for dinner and I will be posting these tomorrow!  Stay tuned

What Vega Products do you love or can’t live without?

XXOO
Kris

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Raw Breakfast Muffins

Posted on 13. Jan, 2010 by kris.

Hello Everyone!!

Wow!  I have been away from my blog (my love) for almost 2 days now!

I have been up to my eyeballs in things to do and things to get done so I needed to step away and take care of business for a couple days   I am back now!

This morning was a glorious morn as I woke up to Raw Goodness setting in the fridge.  Mornings are great when all you need to do is open the door to get healthy eats.

Everyone knows the famous breakfast rollin’ around this blogger community – The Breakfast Cookie – and yes she is yummy and healthy, but I wanted to step it up just one notch.

I needed to be able to transport my breakfast easily with me on meetings this morning and didn’t want to be bothered with spoons and tuppers, so I made the Raw Breakfast Muffin!

Raw Breakfast Muffin Lovin’

*This recipe makes for 3 healthy breakfast muffins

1 banana – mashed
3/4 cup oats
2 – 3 tbsp raw almond butter
1/8 cup hemp milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 scoop vanilla chai vega powder (this makes it sweet and yummy!)

Mash all together and place in muffin liners – I placed mine in the muffin tins as well to keep shape while “stiffening” up.

I then sprinkled with unsweetened coconut.  You can jazz them up with whatever toppings you like.

In the morning after they have “set” they are stiff and easily transportable – great, healthy, breakfast or snack.

Thank You’s!

I would like to thank you all for your comments and emails regarding the goals and goal setting.  I think it is so wonderful you are all so into goals and moving forward in your lives this year. 

This is my passion and if any one needs any assistance in their goal setting, you know where to find me!

Other News!

I saw Ann today, I missed her as it has been almost a month since I last saw her.  We dove deep into the world of “Kris” today and I can’t wait to share more!  I will post on this tomorrow

Do you make Raw Muffins or Cupcakes?  What is your easiest raw treat you make?

XXOO
Kris

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