Product Review - My Protein Flavdrops Liquid Flavoring

I was recently sent the My Protein Liquid Flavor Drops from My Protein Canada to try! As you know I am a competition competitor and I don't eat a lot of sugar (unless its in a cheat meal). So I have a lot of sugar free syrups, drops, and flavourings.

I chose chocolate and maple flavours from the My Protein Drops. And I put them in my coffee. They are true to taste. The maple is my absolute fav. Maybe its the time of year but I loved it. I only used 1-2 drops and that was just enough without making my coffee too sweet. There are way more flavours that I would love to try including peanut butter, chocolate peanut butter and banana.

If you are watching your sugar intake, dieting or prepping for a show I would highly recommend these drops. Thank you My Protein Canada for the generosity! There will be more product reviews coming soon including their cookies and brownies! Stay tuned!

Hey Guys! Happy New Year! Who’s ready to kick off 2017 with a fresh and healthy start?! I know I am! Since I am an advocate of active, fit and healthy lifestyles. I wanted to share with you what and the American Heart Association and SUBWAY® are up to! They have created an on-going initiative that will encourage you to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and better understand the critical health benefits this change can mean. Did you know that people who eat more fruit and vegetables in their diet are more likely to have a reduced risk of chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body and you should never skip out on vegetables with your meals.

The initiative originally started in 2016. SUBWAY restaurants and the American Heart Association (AHA) teamed up to launch +color. This idea was formed to encourage Americans to add more fruits and vegetables to their diets. Did you know that most people don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in their daily diet?!?! It’s shocking. I always make sure to have vegetables with every single one of my meals. The prettier and more colorful your plate is the healthier it is for you!

So, that’s why in partnership with SUBWAY, the American Heart Association (AHA) launched the initiative called +color, focusing on the positive health impact of fruits and vegetables. The health impact of +color may be simple yet significant: It is estimated that if Americans ate the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables every day, approximately 39,900 deaths would be prevented from cardiovascular diseases, stroke and diabetes and $7.6 billion in medical costs could be saved annually. As soon as you read those shocking statistics that should be a nice wake up call. So what not make it a goal to eat more vegetables in 2017! After all it’s a new year so it should be a new you right?

Did you know that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has also been shown to reduce risk of stroke, certain types of cancer and risk of death from all causes? That’s why the AHA and SUBWAY restaurants are inviting Americans to join in this transformative effort by encouraging everyone to start today.  SUBWAY makes it easy for people to add that extra cup of color, even when they’re on the go. You can choose from millions of our handcrafted sandwich combinations to create your own custom sandwich or salad, which can offer up at least two extra servings of vegetables to your diet. Just by adding an extra cup of color to your diet everyday can help improve the health of all Americans.

I went to SUBWAY myself this week and grabbed a chicken salad! It only took a second once I walked in for me to see all of the fresh ingredients. I quickly decide that I wanted a hearty salad with lots of veggies. It’s so easy to pick out your vegetables from the visible line up that SUBWAY has! Look how beautiful and colorful my salad was! It was totally packed with nutrients and such an easy way to stay healthy while on the go.

SUBWAY offers 10 varieties of vegetables. This includes cucumbers, spinach, tomato’s, green peppers and hot peppers which you can see on my salad. Spinach is one of my favorite green vegetables. There are many health benefits of spinach. It is low in fat and cholesterol, it is high in niacin, zinc, protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese. So what’s not to love?!?!  I made sure to add extra spinach. But you don’t have to get a salad in order to increase your vegetable intake. Subway has millions of handcrafted sandwich combinations to create your own custom sandwich too!

I really encourage you to visit your local SUBWAY and make your subs colorful each time you go! Don’t be afraid to post your images across your social network to raise awareness about +color. Tag @SUBWAY / @OfficialSubway and @American_Heart and make sure to use the #addcolor hashtag!

For more information about SUBWAY and the AHA:

Brand Details:

About SUBWAY® restaurants

Guests in 112 countries have easy access to a fresh line-up of vegetables for their made-to-order sandwiches and salads at any of the more than 44,000 franchised locations. The company, founded 50 years-ago by then 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and family-friend Dr. Peter Buck, is still a family-owned business with thousands of dedicated franchisees/entrepreneurs in neighborhoods around the world, providing easy access to vegetables, detailed nutrition, dietary, and healthy lifestyle information. This has been a priority for the SUBWAY® restaurant chain for many years. To learn more, visit www.subway.com. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Subway IP Inc.

About the American Heart Association:

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke

SUBWAY Channels:

http://www.subway.com/en-us

http://www.facebook.com/subway

https://twitter.com/subway

https://www.instagram.com/subway/

@OfficialSUBWAY on Snapchat

AHA Channels:

http://www.heart.org

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanHeart/

https://twitter.com/american_heart?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/american_heart/

I came home earlier this month to find an amazing box at my door. It was from penguin books. At first I was a bit confused as I had not ordered any books. Brought it upstairs and to my surprise it was a care package from Joyous Health. 

It was not only her brand new book Joyous Detox but it was an entire package that included essentials to help me with my detox! Talk about a surprise package! The book includes 100 gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, detox-friendly recipes! Joy is previously known for her best seller Joyous Health.

About her new book:

It is actually a complete plan and cookbook. She wrote this book in order to share with the readier how easy and delicious it is to detox naturally by following a whole foods based diet that emphasizes detox-friedly foods. It gives your body a break from gluten, dairy, sugar, food additives and junk foods that can have a negative effect on your digestion, energy levels and even beauty.

*You may even notice that your hair is shinier and your skin glows more from just 10 days of following the meal plan that is outlines on page 88 in the book*

The care page that she sent me included:

1. Joyous Detox Tea
2. Smooth Like Butta Body Butter
3. Lovely Lavender Deodorant Stick
4. Limp Treatment Balm
5. Dry Skin Brush

Joyous Detox Tea: Her detox tea is a handcrafted organic blend of carefully selected ingredients to support your digestive system, especially your liver. This will enhance detoxification.

Smooth Like Butta Body Butter: It is so clean your an eat the ingredients. And it smells amazing. By far my fav body butter to date.

Lovel Lavender Deodorant Stick: Her natural deodorant contains clinically proven sage extract to keep things stink free. It is formulated for sensitive skin  and contains no chemicals.

Lip Treatment Balm: Firstly this is so tasty! Its also certified organic.

Dry Skin Brush: Dry skin brushing is an essential to your health, beauty and detoxification as brushing your teeth. This totally natural body brush is the perfect coarseness and you will feel instantly invigorated and rejuvenated!

Thank you so much Joy for the care package! I truly appreciate the gesture! And good luck with your new book! I know it is going to be another best seller!

Available on amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Joyous-Detox-Complete-Cookbook-Vibrant/dp/0143194607/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483305780&sr=8-1&keywords=joyous+detox

Joy McCarthy on social:

https://www.facebook.com/joyoushealth.ca/

https://twitter.com/joyoushealth/

https://www.instagram.com/joyoushealth/

300 Best Blender Recipes Using Your Vitamix - Book Review

For those of you who are blessed enough to own a vitamin you know that you can do so much more than make smoothies. Even picky eaters can learn to consume healthy foods when they are blended. Making your own gives you control over what goes into your body!

Vitamix is one of if not the most versatile mixer/blender that exists right now. Its powerful, fast and is incredibly easy to use. You can make smoothies, bread, pancakes or even muffins with flour!

The author Robin Abel has created an extensive collection of innovative recipes that will help you get the most out of your vitamix. There are tons of healthy recipes for delicious dishes from breakfasts to sauces, dips, spreads, nut butters, dressings, ice creams, milkshakes, cocktails, spice blends, dips, baby foods and even desserts. The bet part? There is even a bonus chapter on skin treatments, scrubs, masks and lotions.

Robin the author also includes useful information about your appliance, from the differences a month the different series to tips and techniques that demonstrate how you can turn your vitamix into an invaluable workhorse in your home kitchen.

So far I have only had the chance to try a few of the recipes because I am about to start prep again from provincials. I also don't have a vitamix so I had to use the ninja that I have. So obviously I didn't get the full effect. However I loved the mixed berry probiotic blast on page 228. Probiotics are very important for health and your digestive tract (if you didn't know).

You can purchase your copy here:

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/300-best-blender-recipes-using/9780778805588-item.html

175 Best Superfood Blender Recipes - Using Your NutriBullet - Book Review

I just received this book this month!  I absolutely love using my  blender for shakes and my protein ice cream (if you follow me on snapchat: trainitright you know my late night obsession with protein ice cream). Anywayyyyyyy...

These recipes are fast and convenient. They are single servings which means they are great on the go for someone with a busy lifestyle. They are also great from children. From a nutritional point of view, smoothies are a super easy way to pack a lot of nutrients into a relatively small serving size. The only thing with the recipes in this book is that it is written specifically to use for a nutribullet. If you don't have one (like me) and you just have a regular blender they work ok but are slightly smaller than what your blender is usually made to hold.

If you happen to be a lucky person and have a nutribullet then you are all set to go! This ingenious book covers the principles of healthy eating, nutrition and superfoods. There are 175 easy to prepare recipes, smoothies, dressings, dups, soups, sauces and desserts!

All of the recipes in this book by Marilyn Haugen & Doug Cook are made from wholesome foods and are an effective way to increase the overall nutrient density in your diet. Ive tried a few since my diet is a bit more flexible right now and you definitely wont be disappointed.

Tis the season of Pumpkin still. So I tried out the Pumped-Up Fall Harvest Pumpkin Breakfast Bowl on page 88! And it was delicious! If you get the book and give it a try let me know!

You can pick up a copy here: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/175-best-superfood-blender-recipes/9780778805595-item.html

Ascensia Diabetes Care receives Health Canada approval for the app-enabled CONTOUR® NEXT ONE blood glucose monitoring system

A REMARKABLY ACCURATE METER THAT SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATES WITH SMART MOBILE DEVICES TO MAKE CONNECTED MANAGEMENT EASY FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES

Ascensia Diabetes Care today announced the approval of the CONTOUR® NEXT ONE blood glucose monitoring system (BGMS) in Canada, one of the next steps in the evolution of self-monitoring of blood glucose. As part of the system, the CONTOUR® NEXT ONE meter and CONTOUR® DIABETES App seamlessly connect to allow the app to capture the meter's remarkably accurate blood glucose readings.

The system features an easy-to-use wireless-enabled smart meter that links to a smart phone via Bluetooth™. The CONTOUR® NEXT ONE meter connects to the CONTOUR® DIABETES App, a mobile app that collects, stores and analyzes patient blood glucose readings from the meter. The app combines these with other data input by the patient to provide detailed information about their condition that can help them understand how their daily activities may impact their blood glucose results, including alerts for critical high or critical low readings. The blood glucose measurements and patterns that are identified can also be shared with healthcare professionals to help support management plans.

Not only does the CONTOUR® NEXT ONE system simplify diabetes management and help make it easier for more people with diabetes to use their smartphone to manage their condition, it has also been demonstrated to be one of the most accurate systems to date provided by Ascensia Diabetes Care.

"At Ascensia Diabetes Care we are dedicated to helping improve the lives of people with diabetes. The launch of the CONTOUR® NEXT ONE blood glucose monitoring system is the latest of our high quality solutions to meet the needs of the diabetes community," explained Russ Newsome, Region Head of North America, Ascensia Diabetes Care. "The value for both patients and healthcare professionals in having easy access to highly accurate data that tracks their condition over time could be significant," he added.

Published study data has shown the CONTOUR® NEXT ONE meter to be remarkably accurate. Canadian industry standards for blood glucose meters have an acceptable error range of 15%¹ from lab readings. That means that readings on a meter can be 15% higher or lower, compared to the lab. CONTOUR® NEXT ONE meter results go beyond the industry standards, by coming within 8.4% of a lab reading.¹

The CONTOUR® DIABETES App presents blood glucose readings in a simple, intuitive and easy-to-review way, which may help improve a patient's engagement with and understanding of their results. The system is also designed to evolve in the future, bringing new capabilities and features to help people with diabetes manage their condition.

_{^{______________________________________________}}

_{¹ Christiansen M et al. Accuracy and user performance evaluation of a new blood glucose monitoring system in development for use with CONTOUR® NEXT test strips. Poster presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Diabetes Technology Society (DTS); 22–24 October, 2015; Bethesda, Maryland, USA.}

About Ascensia Diabetes Care

Ascensia Diabetes Care is a global specialist diabetes care company, dedicated to helping people living with diabetes. Our mission is to empower people living with diabetes through innovative solutions that simplify and improve their lives. We use our innovation and specialist expertise in diabetes to develop high quality solutions and tools that make a positive, daily difference for people with diabetes.

Home to the world renowned CONTOUR^TM portfolio of blood glucose monitoring systems, our products combine advanced technology with user-friendly functionality that help people with diabetes to manage their condition. We are committed to continued research, innovation and development of new products and solutions. As a trusted partner in the diabetes community, we collaborate closely with healthcare professionals and other partners to ensure our products meet the highest standards of accuracy, precision and reliability, and that we conduct our business compliantly and with integrity.

Ascensia Diabetes Care was established in 2016 through the sale of Bayer Diabetes Care to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd. Ascensia Diabetes Care products are sold in more than 125 countries. Following the close of the transaction in all countries, Ascensia Diabetes Care will have around 1,700 employees and operations in 38 countries.

For further information please visit the Ascensia Diabetes Care website at www.contournextone.ascensiadiabetes.ca.

CONTOUR® is a registered trademark of Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG.

The Bluetooth™ word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and any use of such marks herein is under license.

SOURCE Ascensia Diabetes Care

200 Best Smoothie Bowl Recipes by Alison Lewis - Book Review

If you are like me and you hate drinking your calories a smoothie bowl sounds like a much better option. You literally can make anything into a smoothie bowl.  Author Alison Lewis is also an internationally published author of two cookbooks, a professional recipe developer, nutritionist, and the owner of Ingredients Inc., a food and travel media company based in Birmingham, Alabama. So when it comes to food she definitely knows her stuff.

From reviewing thats amazing book I have learned how simple it is to prepare a smoothie bowl. I incorporate a lot of her recipes into my client programs when they get sick of shakes or for a great late night snack. They can be very satisfying and satiating. This book was originally published back in April but because of my prep I was unable to make use of it until now!

The book has easy to make recipes that don't involve a lot of complicated ingredients, and it even includes kid friendly recipes. She also gives you topping alternatives and options. You can get as creative as you want on top of the base. There are yummy dessert recipes, any time of the day recipes and even smoothie bowls with coffee and tea as the base. And if you follow my social media you will know that I love both my coffee and my tea! So you know those are some of my favourite recipes. Another one of my favourite recipes that she includes is what she calls the Peanut Butter Cup. It's on page 99 in the kid-friendly smoothie bowls. Be careful it is addictive!

Overall I give this book an 8/10. There are some really great healthy ideas for smoothie bowls. I wish that there was calorie counts and macros for those of us who do competition prep or track macros. And there are a lot of great recipes but no pictures to go with the recipes and I love a book that shows me beautiful photography along with the great recipe! I would suggest getting this book and adding it to your collection for fun meal prep ideas! Especially if you have kids!

To purchase the book from amazon:

https://www.amazon.ca/200-Best-Smoothie-Bowl-Recipes/dp/0778805336

150 Best Recipes For Cooking In Foil - Book Review

Foil packet meals = cooking at its simple best

I couldn't agree more with the above statement. As you guys know I am a fitness competitor and prepping meals is a huge part of my nutrition when I am on prep. It can be very time consuming. That means I am always looking for quick and simple recipes to get my food ready so I have more time for training. I also want them to taste good. I don't limit my sodium on prep so I flavour everything! And foil packets are so much fun, easy, and help create amazing flavours with your ingredients. They can also be prepared for oven, bbq or even camping!

This book: 150 Best Recipes For Cooking In Foil by Marilyn Haugen has quickly become one of my favourites for preparing meals! The delicious grilling and one recipes offer convenience with minimal cleanup. I hate cleaning so this is tremendously helpful for me. Its also great for the busy person who doesn't have a lot of time. Many of the dishes I ate ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze for reheat later.

I also like that the ingredients that she uses for her recipes are easy to find every day ingredients. You just chop, mix and you are ready to go. I make mine in the oven but you aren't just limited to the oven with these recipes which is particularly useful no matter what your cooking situation is.

I give this book an 8/10 simply because it is in black and white and not every recipe has a photo. However every recipe that I have tried has been amazing! So grateful to have been sent this book!

If you're looking for your own copy check out: https://www.amazon.ca/Foil-Packet-Cooking-Recipes-Grilling-ebook/dp/B01GZB1YDY

150 Best Meals In A Jar - Tanya Linton - Book Review

I love mason jars! I have always said that "everything tastes better in a mason jar." And it does! Thats why I was excited to receive this book 150 Best Meals In A Jar. Once you start using mason jars you will see just how easy it is to do meal prep, eat on the go. You can even be as innovative as you want with the recipes. There really are no limits.

The book has a wide variety of delicious meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It includes soups, snacks, fruit and vegetable salads, grain and legume salads, pastas, rice bowls, over night oats and even desserts.

My favourites are the over night oats. I always love including that into my own plans as well as my clients. One of my top fav recipes is the chocolate protein smoothie that is on pg 19.

The recipes are easy to follow, have great ingredients that are easily available and most often times you already have in your panty. Tanya Linton also provides great variations of the recipes so you aren't limited to exactly what she has in the originally recipe.

Overall I give this book an 8/10. There arent pictures of each recipe but there are just so many amazing options and variations its a go to book for meal prep. If you are into health and fitness and want amazing healthy recipes this is a go to!

To purchase your own copy head on over to: