The Wellness Garage hosts Plant-Based Cooking Workshops every Tuesday and Thursday. This Tuesday, Feb 4th, we have a Valentine’s Cooking Workshop in White Rock at 6:30pm-8:00pm. You will learn strategies for creating a fabulous low-carb pasta dinner and dessert.
Led by Jason Maclaughan – soon to be Nutritionist and Vegan Coach
The Wellness Garage
The Wellness Garage is a Lifestyle Medicine Clinic. We have a gym, yoga studio, cafe for smoothies, buddha bowls and bliss balls, and DXA. We have a Diabetes Type II Reversal Program, RCMP Weight Management Program and the Healthiest Year Ever Program. The environment is so welcoming and it is a doctor’s clinic of the future. We have an MD, Health Coach Director, Exercise Physiologist, Nutritionist, Yoga Therapist, Dietitian and Health Coaches all working together to help individuals with health concerns and help the planet.
What could they be? Do you know all 5 Superfoods? Let’s see if you do. If you don’t know one of the 5 Superfoods, try it out and see if it fits into your lifestyle. Yass, indulge yourself! I’m not kidding just look at how delicious these Superfoods look. Not only do these look gorgeous but they’re really good for you too! Most are chock full of antioxidants, minerals and other goodies. Your body will thank you.
For fun, I love trying new food and smoothies. Yes, it is my job but I love it! You know, I was drinking green smoothies and making kombucha before it was a thing and everybody thought I was the weirdo. But now everybody and their grandmother is doing it! So without further ado…Here are the supers!
The 1st Superfood is my favourite, Matcha Green Tea.
Matcha Green Tea
Matcha Green Tea
In Japan, we have the world’s longest living people. The city Okinawa is known as “The Island of Immortals.” How cool is that?! I wonder what Canada is called. Oh yes, of course. Google says it’s “The Land of Maple Syrup.” It can’t be anymore Canadian than that. Anyway, back to Japan and Matcha Green Tea. Could Matcha Green Tea be helping Okinawans live longer? Can’t hurt to try, can it? I’d love to live to the ripe age of 100. Hello, Okinawa!
The 2nd Superfood is Chia Seeds.
Blueberry Kiwi Chia Pudding
Chia Seed Pudding
How incredible does this pudding look? Surprisingly, it’s super easy to make the night before and enjoy in the morning. All you do, is soak chia seeds in coconut milk and they expand 12 times their own size creating a gelatinous consistency perfect for pudding. They contain many bone supporting minerals and omega 3’s. What’s not to like?
The 3rd Superfood is Quinoa.
Quinoa
Quinoa Mason Jar Meal
This plant food in mason jar meals? How fun and appetizing! You can use it as a nutrient-rich rice substitute. Most importantly, this seed is a complete protein with all nine amino acids and it is gluten-free, so everyone can eat it. It is also known to the Inca’s as the “mother of all grains.” Doesn’t that sound a-mazing?! They knew it all along.
The 4th Superfood is Garlic.
Garlic
Purple Garlic
Mmm, just look at all the possibilities with these purple garlic cloves. You could whip up some zoodles and throw in a couple of garlic cloves. How delicious does that sound! On top of that, garlic is perfect for keeping up your immunity in the cold winter months.
The 5th Superfood is Ginger.
Ginger
Ginger
What, that pink stuff beside your sushi? Yasss, that’s what I’m talking about! It will warm you up, keep your food down, help with digestion and support your immune system. You can add some ginger to your lemon tea if you are not feeling well and feel the effects of it. Ginger is an age old traditional Superfood worthy of this title.
Enjoy this coming winter and stay healthy with all these Supers! Let me know which Super is your favourite?
Straight up, does meal planning work? Yassssssss, everyone and their dog are meal planning for a reason! Meal planning makes your week go by smoothly. If you want to try it for free, subscribe and you can get a Free 5-Day Meal Prep Plan.
What’s for dinner?
Once you experience no stress at meal time, there’s no turning back. No cringing when you hear THAT question, “What’s for dinner?” With meal planning, it’s like bammmm! Here’s your dinner, here’s your dinner, here’s your dinner and here’s my dinner! Dang, that was a little too easy! Anyone need breakfast or lunch after because those are all done too! Wahoo, I feel good!
More Me Time
Now, what do I do with all this free time? Should I hit the gym? Maybe I’ll go soak in the jacuzzi. I could cosy up with a good book. The options are endless when you are no longer a slave to the kitchen.
Reinvent the wheel?
I love cooking but 3 times every single day can make anyone nuts! Some peeps like choosing recipes, writing a grocery list and figuring out the nutritional value of meals but hey…that’s my day job! I think you already have one of those unless you want to join me at work…haha.
A meal plan for every stage of your life
As nutritionists, we have already done the hard work and created beautiful, healthy meal plans for you at any stage of your life. We have the free one above or the more specific ones below.
Ready made Healthy Meal Plans
Our Meal Plans all include a grocery list, recipes, meal schedule and nutritional labels. I could try the Vegan Meal Plan if I was thinking about becoming a vegan. If I cannot for the life of me get into ketosis, I could try the Keto Meal Plan and see what I’ve been doing wrong. I could try the 40-30-30 Weight Loss Plan if I want to lose weight the healthy way. There’s a Meal Plan for you if you are pregnant or you’ve just had a baby. We have you covered at every stage of your life.
Guess what? I am a vegetarian again. Haha, most people think I’ve always been one. Yes, I’ve grown up on an Indian diet which is mostly vegetarian meals. Meatless Monday at my house was the norm before it was a thing. We had Meatless Tuesday, Meatless Wednesday, Meatless Thursday and so on. We usually just ate meat on Saturday and my dad would make a pot of goat curry, ‘wiener daal‘ or ‘egg daal’…lol. I have a feeling the last two were Canadian inspired creations! Should I patent them? Nah! I used to pick out the meat and get in trouble from my parents. Old habits, die hard.
Always leaning toward Vegetarianism
I had been a vegetarian for years in my 20’s and 30’s. A few months ago, I felt a pull in that direction again. A lot of my friends and family are vegetarian and vegan. The next step might be veganism. Who knows?
It’s almost been 5 months since I’ve had meat. I don’t miss it at all. Actually, I’ve made a little discovery and it’s helping me stay vegetarian. Yay me!
Caution ahead.
Let me warn you. What I’m about to say may sound harsh. I had nightmares. Just kidding. But I’m not going to lie, it did make me gag on bacon. Hence, I’m a vegetarian now.
Okay, so here’s my big secret.
Drum roll…
I’ve started to call meat by its name at the dinner table!
Meh, what’s the big deal? I know what I’m eating.
Trust me. Say it! Say the animal’s name.
This really works!!! I call meat exactly what it is. No pork chops or ham…just straight up pig. Do you want a pig for dinner? It sounds so savage! My first thought is I can’t eat a pig! Now, that faceless slab of meat has a face. I see the pig, cow or sheep. That simple thought, helps me choose a dish I won’t feel guilty about eating later.
Here’s another thought. Don’t eat it, if you can’t kill it.
I’m the type of person who wouldn’t even hurt a fly. My *nuni taught me to take spiders outside instead of flushing them.
Just imagine…if I had to go to the farm and shoot a cow for my roast beef sandwich, I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it.
Don’t forget, I’d also have to skin it, behead it, cut it in half, take out the guts, chop it and slice it. To be honest, I don’t know the first thing about slaughtering animals and I don’t want to learn.
I could never shoot him for a measly roast beef sandwich. Avocado toast looks pretty damn delicious right about now!
Reconnect to the family farm
How can I love and protect a dog but turn around and kill a cow? The thought of killing the family pet, Shadow or Turbo, for a meal sounds insane. Wouldn’t I go to jail for animal cruelty? What’s the difference between them and other animals? I have definitely lost touch with the family farm and I grew up in the country side! These days, the main place I see farm animals is on a plate and that’s a shame.
So, now what?
Am I chopping up and eating one of the cows above or this cute little lamb below?
My choice is neither.
The two powerful questions, I ask myself:
“What farm animal am I actually eating?”
“Can I go out and kill this animal with my own hands?”
If I can’t stomach any of it, I show mercy and think before I eat.
Please like or comment if you gagged on bacon…haha. My little gift to you.
Namaste.
*nuni – maternal grandma
*Side Note – I am aware most conventional farms do not look like organic family farms. We bought from organic family farms so that is what I am talking about.
