8-10 a day. Are you getting enough???

Fruits and Vegetables. Low in calories, and packed with vitamins, nutrients, fiber and flavor. 8-10 servings recommended per day--are you getting enough??? Are you finding it hard to fit these filling and nutritious food items into your day? Here are some ways to incorporate a few more servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet: 

- add some fresh berries such as blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries to your yogurt in the morning
-try a banana and strawberry smoothie
- Serve a bowl of mixed melon including cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew for desert once this week
- buy a juicer and make your own fresh juice

- Fajitas!! saute some peppers, onions and garlic and serve in warm whole-wheat flour tortillas for dinner

- try frozen mangos and cottage cheese (recommended by Dr. Oz!)

Veggie omelette with sliced oranges, avocado, and fresh salsa on the side  

- add frozen peas and corn to whole grain rice as a side for dinner
- try a broccoli and cauliflower salad for lunch- add one slice of cooked bacon made into bits and low fat ceaser dressing for a delicious flavour
- cucumber salad- always a favourite!
- Homemade chicken or turkey soup with carrots and celery
- BBQ'd eggplant, peppers, and asparagus
- tomatoes: homemade salsa, bruschetta, homemade pasta sauce, gazpacho, or chutney
- Peppers stuffed with couscous, quinoa or risotto (my mouth is watering!)

Guacamole! Chop up avocados and fresh tomatoes and add red onion, garlic, lime juice, pepper and cilantro

Crockpot Chili with lots of vegetables!

Ingredients: 
-1 lb lean ground beef. (I used organic grass-fed)
-1 large jar of Italian strained tomatoes 
-1 large yellow and red bell pepper (chopped)
-1 can organic corn
-1 can organic black beans
-1 package low sodium spicy chili seasoning
- chopped cilantro (to taste) 

Cook on high for 4 hours. 

Bake some asparagus with garlic, fresh squeezed lemon, and parmesan cheese in the oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes...mmm....sooo good!! 

Other ideas: 

-SALADS! Black bean salad, beat salad, pear salad, coleslaw, greek salad, spinach salad (try with hard boiled egg!), and asian salad (for more salad ideas see my post from yesterday!)
-eat greek yogurt with cut up oranges or grapefruit for breakfast
-make your own whole wheat pizza dough and toss on any and all vegetables left in your fridge
- AND my favourite meal of all time: Stir-fry!! Toss all favourite vegetables in a pan and saute with 1 tsp. grapeseed oil, garlic, garlic seasoning, and fresh ground pepper

I challenge you to try one of these ideas today!! 

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Salads made delicious, creative, and of course, healthy as heck!

The last few months I have been on a huge salad kick. I have one every day of the week and sometimes twice in one day. People always ask me if I ever get sick of eating "just" salad for lunch and my answer is "absolutely not!". Every day my salads are different and they always have so much variety! When it comes to salads, the possibilities are endless! 

Try placing a large handful of mixed greens, romaine, coleslaw mix, or spinach on a large plate or in a container. Now add some protein: chicken, steak, eggs, tuna, ham, or tofu are great options. Next add some vegetables (any kind will do-broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, celery, etc.) or dried fruit and nuts- I like an unsalted trail mix. Add a small amount of cheese such as feta, goat, swiss, cheddar, parmesan, asiago, or mozzarella. You can also add some spices but be sure they are low in sodium (garlic seasoning, ground pepper, fresh or dried parsley, basil, cilantro) and perhaps some ground flax, chia seeds or hemp hearts. Now, easy on the dressing! There is already enough flavour that often times I don't even add dressing. My favourite is to add some good quality olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Just be sure your dressing is not full of fat and sugar as a lot of the grocery store ones are. You are better off making your own from scratch. 

Here are some of my favourite salads I have made in the past:

Spinach, goat cheese, and egg salad

The salad pictured here contains spinach, avocado, goat cheese, tomatoes, hard boiled egg and hemp hearts with a light balsamic dressing. 

Mixed greens and coleslaw salad with a twist!

This one contains mixed greens and coleslaw salad with sliced avocado, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, feta cheese and poppyseed dressing 

Superfood Salad! 

Chicken, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, chicory, red bell pepper, cucumber, dried cranberries, peas, pumpkin seeds, fresh ground pepper and poppyseed dressing. 

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad! 

Ingredients: 
- 1 large bunch broccoli
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped small)
- 1/2 red onion (minced)
- 1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
- 1/2lb local bacon (cooked and chopped into bits)
- 4 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- garlic seasoning (to taste)
- ground pepper (to taste)
- pinch salt

Directions:
- In large mixing bowl add all veggies and bacon bits. In separate small bowl mix all other ingredients except the cheese. Add dressing to veggies and mix until well coated. Add cheese and toss well. Transfer to serving bowl, chill for at least an hour, serve and enjoy!

Hopefully that gives you some ideas on how to be creative with your salads. I will often make 5 containers filled with salad and take one for lunch each day of the week--an hour of preparation for a whole week's worth of lunch!

There will be many more salad recipes to come in the future I'm sure!! 

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Welcome to my new Blog!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi and welcome!!!!

Thanks so much for reading this!!! I will be the first to admit that I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to blogging but I figured I needed to start somewhere and sometime so here I am!!! My hope is that I can learn along the way and if you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to let me know!!!

I created a Facebook page for my business in January 2012 and have absolutely loved doing it so far! You can find me at www.Facebook.com/ChristineDoroslovac and feel free to "like" my page while you're there! In the summer my good friend +Brittany Stager commented on how much I post on FB and if I remember correctly her words to me were something along these lines: "You write so much and so often on your FB page, you could easily have started a blog with lots of content by now! You're already doing all the work you just need to put it in a blog", and almost every time I see her she reminds me that I should start one. Alas, here I am.

So this is me! I am a twenty something year old self-employed Registered Kinesiologist and personal trainer. I have owned my own business since 2011 and have loved every minute of it! There's something about helping other people succeed in achieving a healthier lifestyle that I just can't describe. The smiles on my client's faces when they achieve a goal, and the gratitude, dedication, and perseverance they display each and every session makes everything I do for them feel worthwhile and appreciated. I love each and every one of my clients and I love having an impact on their lives. They say when you love your job you'll never have to work another day in your life. :)
What should you expect from my blog posts!?

• Lots and lots and lots of motivation! Ways to get motivated, stay inspired, and live a positive life
• Healthy recipes, meal ideas, meal planning tips, and lots of pictures of yummy food
• Fitness tips, new exercises, suggestions for challenging yourself in your workouts, injury prevention strategies etc
• Links to useful health and wellness websites, news articles, and educational videos
• Random personal stories (related to health and fitness of course!) and client success stories
• Lots more!!

I am both excited and nervous to begin this journey but promise that I will try my best to make it as interesting as possible to keep you, my readers, engaged!

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

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