Life as Katie | holistic, healthy, happy.

Time 2021-06-08 06:11:14

Web Name: Life as Katie | holistic, healthy, happy.

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I live in Canada. It s cold most of the year. Growing up I spent most of my time in arenas watching my friends play hockey, which meant I was constantly cold. As soon I got home I d run up the stairs start a bath and hop in to warm my core temperate back up. I would feel frozen to the bone. Okay, I m being a bit dramatic, but I really hate being cold. To this day I usually have a bath to warm up on a cold day, and most definitely after a super long and tiring week. It s the best way to relax. I ve always added epsom salt to my baths to soothe aching muscles, but in the last year I ve start using my own salt blend to not only relax, but detoxify my body. I use a blend of epsom salt, dead sea salt, and Himalayan salt. I add lavender, peppermint, and cinnamon essential oils to the bath water as well. Also, I include some dried lavender buds from a local farm in the salt mix.Let s start with the essential oils. Lavender oil is a truly incredible remedy for your physical and emotional well-being. Known for its calming effects, lavender can help reduce stress and nervous tension. The aroma can also lessen migraines and help with insomnia (I spray some on my pillow at night!). Since it s a natural antiseptic it works wonders with skin problems and infections. I sprinkle some dried buds in with the salt for some added lavender aroma and pretty colour.Thanks to the natural menthol, adding peppermint oil to the bath water helps soothe tired, aching muscles. It s quite a feeling to get in to a piping hot bath and have your muscles instantly cooled into relaxation. The aroma of peppermint oil is also great for helping with migraines. Have a cold? The scent will help clear up that congestion!The final essential oil I add to my salt bath is cinnamon. It is said to stimulate circulation, reduce stress, and help with any infections. Plus, all three of these aromas together create an absolutely beautiful scent. Noticing a theme yet? Stress relief.A salt bath, also known as a sole (pronounced so-lay ) or brine, not only detoxifies the body, but helps with skin diseases, infections, and with strengthening your immune system. When you mix up your detox bath, you want to make sure you re getting the right concentration of salt. Approximately 1% of your bath water should be salt to get the best effects. An average bath tub normally takes around 100-129 litres (27-32 gallons) of water so you ll need to use about I kg of salt (2.2 lbs). I make a salt mixture of epsom, dead sea, and Himalayan. The finer the grind the quicker the salt with dissolve, but it s your personal preference.Salt baths should be taken with a water temperate around the same as your body s. Draw the bath to a temperate of about 98°F- I use a meat thermometer from the kitchen to double-check! Keeping the water at this temperature allows your body to sweat out the toxins and absorb the salt mixture. If you ve used the proper ratio of salt, the water should hover around the same temperature throughout the duration of the bath. If you start to feel light-headed add some cool water. Spending 40 minutes in the bath is the optimal amount of time to detoxify.If you know you re going to have a detoxifying salt bath start drinking water. We all know we should be drinking lots of water throughout the day, but it s so easy to forget to in our hectic lives (as I write this I ran to the kitchen to grab a glass!).  Since you ll be detoxifying your body, drinking water before and after your bath will help keep you hydrated and flush out the toxins. Light a few candles, put on your iPod, and relax away.Ingredients2.5 cup epsom salt2.5 cup dead sea salt2.5 cup Himalayan salt6-8 drops lavender oil3-5 drops peppermint oil5-7 drops cinnamon oil1 tsp. dried lavender buds (optional)DirectionsDrink a few glasses of water and bring one for the remainder of the bath.Light some candles and put on a relaxing playlist (optional, but always nice!)Combine the salt in a large bowl.Run your bath water to around 98°F.Add salt while the bath runs to allow it to dissolve.Add the essential oils and lavender buds (if using).Submerge as much of your body as possible into the bath water.Relax in the bath for 40 minutes.Slowly get out of the bath and gently towel dry your skin.Spend 30 minutes relaxing afterwards.Drink more water!TIPS:Try not to put any moisturizer on your skin after your bath. Just let your skin breathe and revel in the calming and detoxifying effects.If you feel light-headed drink more water and add some cool water to the bath.*If you are pregnant or have heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, inflammations, and other medical conditions consult your naturopath or family doctor before taking a hot detox salt bath. This is one of my absolute favourite quinoa salads ever, and I love quinoa. I could eat it every day for lunch. I first tried a similar quinoa salad at one of my favourite bakeries in Hamilton, Cake and Loaf (dangerously good everything!). I was hooked, so I found myself creating my own version.First of all, the colour of this salad is incredible. Second, the aroma that fills my kitchen as I m stirring up a batch of this healthy, goodness is mouth-watering. The flavours are so fresh, and the dish is very filling. It s super easy to assemble and packed with awesome, nutrition-filled ingredients. This dish is also great because ideally you want it to sit over night in the fridge so the flavours have time to mingle. I m all about preparing as much as I can the night before!I always make a huge batch ahead of time for the cottage, family get togethers, or, my favourite, music festivals. Yes, I was the über-healthy person who pre-made a quinoa salad for everyone and kept it in a cooler in my car with paper plates and forks of course. (T best way to save yourself from eating the unhealthy food at summer concerts and festivals bring your own!)You always want to make sure you re getting the right amount of protein in a day, and ideally spreading it throughout each meal. The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to approximately 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man, and 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman. Being the main building blocks, protein is a vital component to keeping a happy, healthy body.This superfood grain is a great non-meat protein option, especially for vegans and vegetarians. Containing all nine essential amino acids, quinoa is a complete protein source. Gluten and wheat free eaters can rejoice as well since it contain almost twice as much fibre than most grains. Don t forget fibre is your friend! It keeps you feeling full for longer. Quinoa is also high in iron, lysine, magnesium, vitamin B2, and manganese. Since quinoa has a coating, called saponin, make sure you rinse it thoroughly in a fine sieve before you cook it.Ingredients:*All ingredients organic and non-GMOFor the salad:2 cups of quinoa, cooked1 red pepper, diced1/2 yellow onion, diced1/2 cucumber, diced1 carrot, grated1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered1 cup non-GMO edamame, shelled and cooked1 cup non-GMO corn, cooked3 tbsp. chives, minced1/2 cup dried cranberries1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds4 tbsp. hemp seed hearts2 tsbp. nutritional yeastS+P to tasteFor the dressing:1/4 cup cold-processed olive oil4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar1 medium lemon, juiced1 garlic clove, minced2 tbsp. fresh dill2 tsp. herbamare seasoning saltS+P to tasteDirections:Prepare all the vegetables as stated above and add to a big mixing bowl with the chives, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, hemp seed hearts, and nutritional yeast. Add S+P to taste.Add cooked quinoa to the mixture and mix until combined.Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together.Drizzle over quinoa mixture and mix thoroughly.Season with S+P to taste.Let sit in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight if you can to let the flavours meld together. These portobello mushrooms are dangerously good you ll be eating seconds for sure! This was another one of those recipes that I created while staring blankly into my fridge one night. “Okay, mushrooms need to be used, peppers yep those too…oh those sausages, totally forgot I had those in there definitely need to cook those tonight,” was essentially my thought process.My husband Frank always says I can never just make a normal meal. I start off with simple intentions. I say, “Oh let’s just make a quick breakfast…We can just have a quick pasta for dinner.” An hour and a half later, I’ve whipped up a new, extravagant meal-– with lots of dishes. I admit it, I’m a really messy cook. I always tell Frank how good he is at dishes, ha! Hey, I cook-– he cleans up. It s a good deal!Enter sausage-stuffed mushrooms. Oh my goodness! These are a staple meal in our house now. They are also awesome as an appetizer. Instead of using portobello mushrooms, I used cremini to make a great little appetizer for a dinner party. Bite sized pieces of heaven! Feel free to use your favourite mushrooms; any kind that can be stuffed. I use honey garlic sausage because I’m still warming up to hot flavours, but feel free to use your favourite kind of sausage.We don’t eat meat in every meal, but when we do I make sure it’s local and preferably pasture-raised. I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many incredible and inspiring farmers. One of the farms I love supporting is Harrington Lane Farms in the Hamilton, Ontario area. They have the BEST sausages I have ever had. I shot some segments there back in May, and the owner Krista was the sweetest person. She showed us around her farm and met the happy Berkshire pigs that call her farm home. We were sent home with a sample of her sausages as well. My goodness, I am so happy she did because I am hooked! Enjoying a sausage from a local farm is the only way to go. Well, it’s the only way to go for any meat. The animals are treated well, and usually get to graze on pasture like nature intended. Local farms take pride in what they produce, and it shows in the quality of their product.While on the topic of good ingredients, I just want to touch on the other items I ve used in this recipe. Freshly grated parmesan makes a huge difference! Cheese isn t meant to sit outside of the fridge on a shelf for months. If it is, it s full of preservatives- and should be banned from your cupboards. Do your health a favour and get a beautiful wedge of Italian Parmigiano Reggiano I promise you won t be disappointed. I always make my own bread crumbs from the end pieces of the bread that seem to linger around my kitchen. By making my own I know that they are preservative free, made from sprouted grain or spelt bread, and cheaper than buying containers at the store. If you re GF or wheat-free, substitute with your favourite GF breadcrumbs. An ingredient you may not be familiar with is nutritional yeast. It doesn t sound like the most appetizing ingredient but it s very good for you and actually has a great nutty/cheesy flavour. I ll do a post on this oddity later. Since mushrooms come in all different sizes, sometimes I have leftover sausage mixture. Not to fret! I pop it in the fridge and use it for an omelette or frittata. Ingredients:4 large Portobello mushrooms (if making an entrée), or 4 containers or cremini mushrooms (if doing an appetizer)4 local sausages, casing removed1/2 cooking onion, diced1 organic red pepper, diced1 garlic clove, minced2 eggs, beaten1/2 cup fresh Italian parmesan, grated- plus 2tsbp for sprinking topping2 tbsp. homemade breadcrumbs, plus 1 tsbp. for topping2 tsbp. nutritional yeast2 tsbp. chives, diced- plus 1 tbsp. for garnishing2 tsbp. butter, for sautéingsalt and pepper to tasteDirections:Preheat the oven to 375°F.To prepare the mushrooms, remove the stems and the gills by gently scraping them out with a spoon. With a damp towel clean any excess dirt off the mushroom- never soak a mushroom because it will absorb too much water and won t brown as nicely.Place a pan on medium heat and add the butter.Once the butter begins to sizzle, add the garlic, onion, and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sautée until soft.Remove the casing from the sausage and add it to the pan.Cook the sausage with the onions and peppers breaking it down as much as you can with a spatula.Once the sausage is cooked throughout, remove it from the stove to cool down.Add the parmesan, chives, nutritional yeast, and egg. Stir until combined.Using an immersion blender, break down the sausage mixture further.Using a spoon, fill the mushrooms with the sausage mixture.Sprinkle the tops of the mushrooms with remaining breadcrumbs and parmesan.Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the mushroom have cooked down a bit.Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining chives for a garnish.Makes 4 entrees or large serving of delicious appetizers. My life changed for the better. I got a Vitamix. They are crazy expensive, so I didn t see myself getting one anytime soon (having just gotten married, we re on a budget!). One afternoon I checked my Air Miles and realized I had enough to get one of these bad boys! To say I was excited is an understatement. My husband is lucky we haven t been eating every meal pureed to a smooth pulp!The Vitamix has totally changed my smoothie game. The consistency is so deliciously smooth and creamy, it makes me want to drink smoothies all day. I hold them to the same level as my morning coffee nothing seems to get done until both are consumed! I have about three go-to smoothies, but this one is by far my favourite (my husbands too!). They are great because you can pack so much nutrition into a take-and-go breakfast or post-workout protein boost.The superfoods I used in this recipe are maca powder, local bee pollen, and Udo s Oil. Maca is a root from the radish family, grown in the mountains of Peru. I find it has a butterscotch-like flavour, and I love adding it into anything I can.  Maca is high in vitamin B, C, and E. It s also high in calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and amino acids. Maca is also a libido booster, helps balance your hormones and mood, and can increase your energy.Now you might thinking, bee pollen? Really? YES! Really. It s made by honeybees, and can take one honeybee a full month s work to make just one teaspoon. Taking local bee pollen every day can help with your allergies. As you consume the local pollens, your body begins to build an immunity to them. It s also a complete food source, containing high levels of protein (approximately 40%). It s also rich in free amino acids, vitamins, and folic acid.Udo s Oil is my favourite way to make sure I m getting my daily intake of omega-3 and 6 essential fatty acids (EFAs).  Our bodies do not make EFAs so we have to make sure they are added into our diet. It s a blend of flax oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, evening primrose oil, rice germ and bran oil, soy lecithin (non-GMO), oat germ and bran oil, and tocotrienols. Many people who take omega supplements don t take them in the correct doses. We take to much omega-6, and not enough omega-3.  Most people are consuming a 20:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3.  Udo s Oil is the perfect 0.5:1 ratio.  I find taking this supplement daily is the simplest way to get the right amount (saves me from having the do the math on my own!).I get all my superfoods from Nuts.com (except the bee pollen); they have awesome products and fantastic prices. My cupboard is so full of powders, seeds, and nuts you d think I was opening up my own apothecary. Another way I like to save a bit of money is to buy bulk containers of organic baby spinach and kale, and freeze them so it keeps longer. You can also make your smoothies the night before and keep them in the fridge for an awesome on-the-go breakfast. Also, this smoothie can easily be made vegan by substituting the whey protein isolate for your favourite vegan mix. Alright, enough talking, here s the recipe!Ingredients:1 cup waterSplash of organic orange juice (not from concentrate!)1/2 cup frozen mango1/2 cup frozen pineapple1 organic banana1 generous handful of organic baby spinach1 generous handful of organic baby kale2 tbsp. maca powder2 tbsp. local bee pollen4 tbsp. Udo s Oil 3-6-9 blend2 servings of grass-fed New Zealand Whey Protein IsolateDirections:Add all ingredients into the blender and combine until smooth.Makes 2 large servings. Best day ever. 7.11.14I started this blog a few months back. I had every intention to post regularly, starting with sharing my favourite recipes. While starting the blog I semi-forgot I was in the middle of planning my wedding and still in full production for my television job. I tend to do this to myself: bite off more than I can chew. Anyone else feel like that?Now that the weddings over (we had an incredible day!), and fall has arrived I’ve found a little bit more time. I always feel like fall and winter slow down a bit, and I’m able to concentrate on myself and being at home a bit more. Between weddings, birthdays, cottages, and BBQs we seem to never be home on the weekends. Yoga, cooking, and reading go out the window for me during the more weather-friendly, but hectic seasons!So now I’ve tasked myself with posting to my blog at least twice a week. A good goal to start off with, I think, and one that might change over time. I’ll be posting about a few of my favourite things: food, nutrition, and healthy living. Go-to recipes, tips on living healthy, and random thoughts will find their way onto these pages. This blog will be a great way for me to organize all my recipes (instead of the Rolodex in my head), and share them with people from different walks of life (I hope they are enjoyed too!).Being a journalist, I really enjoy writing and actually find it therapeutic. I’m excited to start off on my new online adventure. Wish me luck! Obsessed with this salad is an understatement. I literally eat it every day. I know I have a problem! I first had it a few months ago when my cousins wife made it for us at dinner it was love at first bite. I only made a few modifications to the salad. I don t really use exact measurements for my salad recipes, but below is what I would make for Frank I for a large dinner side salad. It would probably be just fine for 4 side salads at dinner as well. Two lunch salads, maybe? The possibilities are endless, I tell you! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Plus, this salad not only tastes amazing, but is also jam packed with nutrition. Keep reading past the recipe below for a few of the health benefits related to the ingredients.Toxin-free tip: Try to use organic lettuce and strawberries as they are two of the worst offenders for pesticides. A great site to reference for information on the best and worst in conventional fruits veggies is the EWG s 2014 Shopper s Guide to Pesticides in Produce (they even have an awesome iPhone app).  For the Salad:1/2 mixed greens 1/2 baby spinach (about two large handfuls each)Handful of organic strawberries, sliced1 avocado, cubedHandful of raw walnuts, crumbled (pecans work great too!)2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast2 tablespoons of chia seedsThoroughly wash mixed greens and baby spinach, and put in a large salad bowlWash and slice strawberries and add to the salad greensCrumble raw walnuts by hand and sprinkle overtop of salad, along with the nutritional yeast and chia seedsCube the avocado and  add to the saladToss the salad with your own homemade balsamic dressing or see below for a great recipeFor the Dressing:* This Effortless Anytime Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe is from The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon. This dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I usually make a larger batch in a mason jar, since I use it so often. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce1 tablespoon maple syrup1 1/2 teaspoons of dijon mustard1 garlic clove, minced1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (I use pink himalayan salt amazing health benefits)Freshly ground black pepperWhisk all the ingredients in a bowl or place in a jar and shake up for a quick and easy dressing.Ingredient Health Benefits:Strawberries: Rich in the essential nutrients, vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fibre. One cup of fresh strawberries contains 160% of your daily needs for vitamin C. They are also high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.Avocado: These nutritional powerhouses get a bad rap for being high in fat. Yes, they are high in fat, but GOOD fats that your body needs. They have great anti-inflammatory properties, are high in fibre (1 cup of cubed avocado has approximately 10 grams of fibre), and have an incredible amount of carotenoid. These are just a few of the health benefits of avocado they definitely need their own post!Raw Walnuts: Another food that gets a bad rap for fat is nuts. Remember, your body needs good fats for optimal health, and nuts are a great option. Raw walnuts, compared to conventional walnuts, are higher in nutrition since they haven t been heated and processed. They are packed with an antioxidant called ellagic acid, which are shown to help fight free radicals and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. They are also high in protein (my fave!).Nutritional Yeast: I love, love, love nutritional yeast. It has a great cheesy, nutty flavour that goes great on not only salads, but popcorn, potatoes, and vegetables (anything really!). It s a gluten-free, vegan source of vitamin B12. Just one tablespoon contains your entire days recommended intake. Two tablespoons (same amount used in this recipe) of nutritional yeast contain 9 grams of protein! Side note: we should be aiming for around 25 gram of protein per meal. One final benefit, it s high in folic acid which helps with cell maintenance and production.Chia Seeds: Another one of my go-to super foods is chia seeds. They are a great source of healthy omega-3 fats and fibre. Just one-ounce of these guys contain 11 grams of fibre (1/3 of your daily intake), which is important for your digestive health. The same one-ounce serving also provides you with  30% of your daily intake of manganese, which is good for your bones. It s also a great source of phosphorous, protein, and can help regulate your blood sugar. Being a hard-core health nut with my pre-made vegan quinoa salad. At a music festival this past summer.The first time I heard the word vegan was over a decade ago when one of my older brothers went from vegetarian to full blown vegan.  We thought he was crazy. Our Italian grandparents took it even harder, What you mean you no eat lasagna..okay fine have this salami. I called him Rabbit for a while, watching him eat his vegetables and not wearing leather. No lasagna?! Is he nuts? But over the years I ve learned more and more about being vegan, and why he eats the way he does.  In the past 6 months it s begun to intrigue me a bit more. I don t think I will ever completely give up meat dairy, but I definitely think it will be greatly reduced from our diet.I also told myself Oh there s no way I could ever try eating vegan, no flavour, so boring.  Obviously I was wrong.  I picked up the Oh She Glows Cookbook last week and couldn t believe how awesome every recipe looked.  My mouth literally watered as I flipped through every single page of the book. That was it, we were doing this.Both my fiancee Frank and I have had irritable stomachs (plus my skin has been wreaking havoc on my face), and with our upcoming July wedding as motivation, I finally felt like I was able to go vegan.  Well mostly, I will still include honey and bee pollen in my diet.We started our vegan journey Monday and so far so good. I am feeling better, my stomach hasn t been upset and I feel happier (probably not from eating vegan for two days maybe happy because I feel great!). I ll update on our progress throughout the month. Wish me luck!UPDATE: 1 month later My brother Alex, a.k.a. The Vegan.Going vegan for the month wasn t as hard as I thought! Actually, both Frank and I really enjoyed it.  We made sure we were still getting our daily intake of protein and fibre.  He still went to the gym, and I kept with my normal yoga routine.  We both noticed we had better digestion, more radiant complexion, and we were never hungry (that was a big one for Frank!).  At his bachelor party in June, Frank maintained his vegan-ness along side my brother Alex (aka. The Vegan).  Although, we aren t becoming full fledged vegans, we ve decided to include many more vegan recipes into our regular diet.  I ll be posting some of my favourites along the way. 43.250021 -79.866091 A friend of mine from Boar Chick Farm in Troy, Ontario.Hello blogging world, I m Katie and new to the blog scene.  Well, semi-new. I m a journalist by trade, so of course I ve had some dabbling in the blogging world, but never my very own blog!  After humming and hawing over whether I had time to write I blog I decided to just do it.  But I guess that s not the whole truth. I have to admit I was a little scared to start a blog why do I need a blog, who s even going to read it, who cares what I have to say? are the questions the filled my head whenever I thought about it. I decided it didn t matter if 1 person read it, or the entire world, I was going to start a blog to share my life experiences and ideas.  I knew I  wanted my blog to be about living life as naturally and as happy as possible. So here we have it!My quest to healthy living started around 2009 when I discovered the book There s Lead in Your Lipstick by Gillian Deacon. It literally changed my life.The book that started it all. Each morning the average woman has applied 127 different chemicals, many of which are known toxins. This sentence really struck a chord with me, so I started some research.To my horror, I found out I was living in a chemical bubble. I was only in my second year of university at the time, and had never really thought about the ingredients in anything really, let alone food I was consuming and cosmetics I was using. By the time I was half way through the book, I found myself in my bedroom reading the back of  cosmetic product on my beauty workbench (as my dad calls it). I couldn t believe these carcinogenic and toxic ingredients were so easily allowed in the items I slathered onto my body religiously. Into the garbage went, well, pretty much everything.From there I started reading as much literature as I could get my hands on regarding these hidden chemicals. I m a reader to begin with so I took on this challenge with great enthusiasm.  I found that I LOVED learning about living a healthier lifestyle.  I finally found my passion.  I started using all natural beauty products, cleaning green and buying organic food. My friends and some of my family thought I was crazy. To tell you the truth, I feel like most still do.It wasn t an easy journey (or a cheap one for that matter!). The more I read, the more I discovered how saturated my entire world was with chemicals. It still scares me to think about.  So now, I m on a life-long quest to create the healthiest and happiest life for myself and my family.  This blog will be dedicated to my healthy living journey.  I ll post recipes I ve tried, products I ve used, and knowledge I ve learned.  My goal is to inspire people to open their eyes to the chemical bubble society has placed us in, and try to live a naturally happy life. 43.250021 -79.866091 Search Katie Stewart Hi, I'm Katie and welcome to my guide to holistic living. I hope you find some recipes and lifestyle tips you can use at home. Privacy Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

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