Yummy School Snack/Breakfast: Healthy Wholegrain Muffins

These are by FAR my favourite muffins of all time.  I make them often and eat them for snacks or for a quick breakfast as I'm running out the door.  Let me know if you've tried the recipe and what you think! :)

Wholegrain Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 eggs
2/3 C Brown sugar

School Lunches: Rachel's Favourite Sandwich!

I am seriously in love with this sandwich.  I just ate it again today.  Just make sure you keep it cool with an ice pack!

Chicken Sandwich a la Rachel

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School Snack Ideas

Everyone around me seems to be heading back to school: Taryn is off to do her fancy phD, my sister-in-laws are heading off to university, high school and elementary school.  I feel like I'm missing all the fun back to school shopping!  But then I remember all the exam cramming and report writing... maybe I don't miss school so much.

To make your life a little bit easier, I've been brainstorming some ideas for easy snacks you can pack and take with you when you're in the middle of class and hunger punches you right in the kidneys.  Or stomach.  Whatever.

Let us know in the comments below what YOUR favourite healthy snacks are for school!

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Simple, Easy, Healthy - Back to School Snack!

Here's a healthy chickpea recipe that you can follow on Sunday nights. 

Ingredients: 

1 can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed thoroughly 

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil 

2 dashes of table salt

1 tsp of black pepper

+ your own spices. I add cayenne pepper and cajun spices (I like spicy!)

Lose those Lovehandles!

So, if you haven't noticed yet, I'm just going to lay it on the line and let you know that, yes, I am a nerd. And as a nerd, I never take anything at face value. Meaning, if someone were to say "eat 5 apples a day to help lose your lovehandles" I would ask "what is it in apples that helps oxidize fat?" Yeah. Nerd-esque I know! So what I've done for you in this blog is explain what lovehandles are. Why they develop. And how to get rid of them, with specific tips and tricks.

What are lovehandles?

Lovehandles are located above your iliac crest (hip bone) and are excess adipose (fatty tissue) that collects over top of your oblique muscles (part of your core muscles).

Carrying excess fat around our waist isn't just a body image concern, because we all hate the way they fall over the back of our jeans, but large lovehandles and excess abdominal fat can lead increase your risk of developing serious health risks like: cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension).

BREATHE! Don't worry if you have small lovehandles! Everyone carries excess fat! It can be a good thing!

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What I ate Today (Work Lunches)

Here's a quick and easy recipes for lunches you can take to school or your workplace, if it has a microwave! 

Teriyaki Fried Rice

What you'll need:
- 1 cup of wild or brown rice
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 2 cups of water
- extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- 1/2 zucchini 
- 1 head of broccoli chopped
- 1/2 bottle of teriyaki sauce 


In a medium sized pot, combine rice, butter and water. Bring to boil. Stir occasionally. Simmer over medium-low heat until water is absorbed. 


In a large frying pan, add 2 tbsp of EVOO and warm the pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion. When garlic and onion are soft, add in red onion, broccoli, zucchini and any additional vegetables you would like i.e. mushrooms, sprouts, olives or bok choy.  

When vegetables are tender-crisp, add in rice. 

Fold in teriyaki sauce or soya sauce or the sauce of your choice.

Divide into smaller portions and refrigerate . 

For a side snack: BAKED CHICK PEAS *noms*

For this you will need
- olive oil 
- 1 can of chick peas
- salt and pepper 
- cayenne pepper


Pre-heat your oven to 425 Degrees. Empty chick peas into a strainer and run under cold water for up to 5 minutes (get them clean!). Add chick peas, olive oil (as much as you need to coat chick peas), salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (for a kick of heat!) to a medium mixing bowl. Coat chick peas by stirring the mixture. Place chick peas on a baking sheet. If available to you, add chick peas to a terra-cotta baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip chick peas. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or under desired crispness is met. Put in a re-sealable container and enjoy for an afternoon snack throughout the week! 

*This is a great substitute for chips and crisps. :)