Sunday fun day :)

Ahhh Sunday, my favourite day of the week. It used to be Saturday's but lately they have been so packed that Sunday is now the new Saturday. A day of rest (some what) and generally when I do all of my cooking and organizing for the week ahead. I really try not to not make any plans unless it's in the morning. Please don't invite me over for dinner on a Sunday, I will not come. BUT we can meet for brunch. See compromise :) Tonight I will be snuggled up on my couch with my honey, Miss Mia and our cat Winston watching Suits, this makes me so excited you have no idea haha.

Another great thing about today is that my kitchen is smelling of delicious chocolate chip cookies that I just baked..yum! Would you like the recipe?? *I'm going to put a disclaimer up right now because there is a lot of "talk" in the blogging community that I've read online about recipe stealing. I am in no way an expert chef and I understand the hard work some of these bloggers put into creating amazing recipes, but sometimes there is only a few ways you can make simple meals. I will always reference if I borrow a recipe but there can be a lot of similarities especially with paleo/gluten free cooking. OK I'm done, on to the cookies!

Protein Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup of almond flour
1 cup of coconut flour
1.5 scoops of protein powder (I used chocolate)
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 cup 100% real honey
1/3 cup coconut oil melted
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and set aside two baking sheets sprayed with non-fat cooking spray.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl so all the bumps are gone.
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl and then pour into dry ingredient bowl.
Add chocolate chips and mix until blended nicely.
Wash your hands and roll dough into small balls and place on cooking sheet. Press down with a spoon to flatten the dough to create cookie shape. (Should make about 2 dozen cookies or a bit less if you like them bigger).
Cook for 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven, cool and then eat!

So easy, simple and pretty darn healthy :) These are a great snack when your craving something sweet and can be incorporated into any healthy eating plan.  Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure...I may or may not of eaten some of the dough...so good.

Since it's snowing today in Calgary, I'm looking out my window feeling very grateful to have a warm, loving home to live in. This is really a luxury some people in our city don't have. A colleague of mine just started volunteering at the Drop In Centre downtown and shared some stories with me last week that haven't left my mind. Some of these people have lived there for over 7 years! Fortunately they have the Drop In Centre to go to but wow, that is a long time to not have a real home. Last year I volunteered there around Christmas time and this year I'm going to look into a few other ways to give back as well. We are all so fortunate so let's spread the love friends, you never know who may need it <3

I hope you are enjoying your weekend and getting some rest in before Monday comes tomorrow. Remember that staying fit and being healthy requires preparation. Cut up some vegetables and fruits, and bake some chicken or beef so you will have healthy items ready to go in your fridge. Just these little things can make such a difference in your week. This is one my favourite quotes below that I really do live by. Easy isn't always best (honestly it's not...I know from lots of trial and error) . If you want something in life, make a plan. Ask for help. Work for it. It really will come true :) 

Now go and enjoy the rest of your Sunday! 

Blessing and love,
Sam :)

Weekend Re-cap

It's Monday again, wow time is flying by. We started discussing Christmas parties at work today, umm it's not even Halloween yet?! Don't you think we really do rush our lives away at times? I remember when I was in high school, all I wanted was time to hurry up. I wanted to get my license, get a real job, get married, have kids...whoa! I would really now tell my former self to calm the F down. There is NO RUSH in life. I have learned more recently that any time I'm freaking out about something, its usually because I'm living in the future and out of the present. If you just take a second to appreciate the moment, the things you need usually become a lot clearer. That's my philosophy from now on :)

Now back to reality. It was a busy weekend but I did get some down time in. Friday I was wiped from work so I literally watched four episodes of the show Suits and layed on our couch (compelling I know). Has anyone seen the show though? Honestly it's my new obsession and I barely watch TV. Suits is based on a law firm from New York City (but it's actually filmed in Toronto which I love) and the lawyer Harvey Specter on the show is such a babe. Something about a man who gets things done! That's one of the reasons why I'm marrying my fiance...he makes a decision and boom it's done, no hesitating. That's a great quality to have. Here is a pic of Suits, Harvey is on the right...damn...

Saturday I woke up early and my honey and I ran 10km outside which was a great way to check out houses in new neighbourhoods. Why waste gas when you can run? I then headed to a pre-wedding brunch at the Danish Club downtown. They seriously had the biggest omelet bar I've ever seen with about every topping you can imagine; sausage, shrimp, cheese, peppers, pineapple, onions...I could go on. It was awesome.

Saturday night I had a girl's night out at Hifi to see a fashion show, ACTLIKEUKN. It was awesome! The best part was my beautiful sister did all the make-up for the models. They looked fierce! I was so proud to see her in her element. The show was captivating and we even got to meet the Jamaican bobsled team who made an appearance, how cool is that? :) Unfortunately all of the pics I took are so blurry but I did one with us and a few of the bobsledders:

Sunday was brunch with friends at the new Red's Diner in Ramsay which I definitely recommend. The building has high ceilings and a lot of character. Great food and even better coffee. GO THERE :)
I did a bit of cooking as well on Sunday but honestly we ate out a lot this weekend. Was nice to see some friend's we haven't in a while and re-connect.

I PROMISE to have some good recipes posted later this week. I've been thinking about lots, now just need to put them into action. I've realized in order to really keep up on this blog, I need to be more organized in my real life. I don't even have kids yet, have no idea how you parents juggle everything. I give you SO MUCH CREDIT.

I'm off to bed early so hope everyone has great night and we'll chat soon!

Wishing you blessings and love,
Sam :)

Health tips and recipes!

Wow, I can't believe its Thursday already, love short work weeks!  I had lunch with a friend today and its amazing how some girl chat can really perk up your day. I love friends that you can say exactly what's on your mind and they just get you. I feel very lucky to have friends like this in my life and I hope you do too. I have a Lululemon poster posted in my office and one of the quotes is "friends are more important than money". Amen!

The rest of the week has been comfortably busy I'd have to say. Lots of workouts, working, cleaning, eating (my favourite) and trying to pick a resort for our wedding. We had originally hoped for somewhere in the Caribbean but holy sh*t is it pricey. WAY more than I anticipated and rates I would definitely not feel comfortable asking our guests. So Mexico is looking like the place. As long as the weather is great and we have our families and friends there, we really can't go wrong. I'll keep you posted on where we decide :)

With all the cooking we did last weekend, its been awesome coming home from work and just re-heating what we have in our fridge. Pretty sure I could eat that beef stew every day. It's funny because I never used to be a red meat eater. I used to have it probably once a month but I found out that I have very low iron (anemia) actually so grass fed red meat is now part of my regular meal plan. For those that don't know, Iron-deficiency anemia (according to webmd.com) occurs because of a lack of the mineral iron in the body. Bone marrow in the centre of the bone needs iron to make hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that transports oxygen to the body's organs. Without adequate iron, the body cannot produce enough hemoglobin for red blood cells. The result is iron-deficiency anemia. This type of anemia can be caused by:

• An iron-poor diet, especially in infants, children, teens, vegans, and vegetarians
• The metabolic demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding that deplete a woman's iron stores
• Menstruation
• Frequent blood donation
• Endurance training
• Digestive conditions such as Crohn's disease or surgical removal of part of the stomach or small intestine
• Certain drugs, foods, and caffeinated drinks

I'm pretty much a perfect case to be affected by this so I have to supplement accordingly. I take a liquid iron supplement (OK I sometimes forget, like quite often) but it really does help, eat a ton of Kale which has about double the amount of iron than spinach (sorry Popeye), incorporate red meat, and try and keep my stress to a minimum. I can always tell when my iron is low because I never truly feel rested even if I've slept for 10 hours. If you've ever felt like this, I definitely recommend getting some blood work done by your doctor. There are so many things we ignore but can easily be fixed with the right knowledge.  A good tip for Kale is to add it to your protein shakes in the morning. Blend a handful in and it adds just a sweet taste of green to your shake, delish.

A quick recipe I wanted to share with you is Meatloaf. I know I know, meatloaf sounds like something your mother punished you with when we were younger but honestly its really good and so easy and healthy to make. Just try it!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place 2lbs of ground beef (grass fed if possible) into a large bowl.
In another bowl, add two eggs whisked, 1 clove of chopped garlic, 1/2 large minced onion, lots of Mrs. Dash seasoning, parsley and basil.
Mix together and pour over meat.
Then add 1/2 cup of coconut or almond flour and knead all of the ingredients together with your hands.
Form into a loaf shape as best as you can and place into a loaf or meatloaf pan (these are usually glass) and a bit little smaller than the size of the pan.
Usually over meatloaf there is some sort of sauce; I used some organic creamy garden tomato soup and poured a generous amount on top. It will leak into the meatloaf and be delicious! (Be careful pouring so it doesn't spill everywhere which happened to me).
Bake for about 80-90 minutes. I like things over cooked so mine was in for a good 90 but depends how you like it.
Cool for 15 minutes and you have yourself some Mmmeat loaf!

Now you'll need some dessert right?! Dessert is usually reserved for the weekends or a cheat meal but I believe healthy desserts can be eaten almost every night. This way you never feel deprived..its a win win. I'm going to leave you today with a healthy muffin recipe. These can be eaten for breakfast, dessert or a snack throughout the day. THEY ARE AWESOME.

Chocolate Chip Avocado Pumpkin Gluten-free muffins.

I borrowed the pumpkin chocolate chip part of the recipe from PaleOMG http://paleomg.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins. She has some really awesome ideas, but changed it around a bit. I then added avocado and almond butter to make my own version :)

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin will do just fine)

1/3 cup 100% real maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

3 eggs, whisked

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 of a large avocado

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 to 1 cup of Dark Chocolate Chips (depending how chocolaty you like things)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together wet ingredients in a bowl: pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs,  almond butter, vanilla extract and avocado.
3. In another bowl, whisk together coconut and almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Use an ice cream scoop (or large spoon) to one scoop of batter per muffin. Makes about 10-12 full muffins.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
8. Cool and enjoy!

 

 

Have a great night everyone, sending you blessings and love!

Sam :)


 

 

Detox time!

What a weekend! I can't tell you how grateful I am to have today off. Entertaining, cooking, eating, and drinking can really take its toll on a person. First world problems I know. I hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and delicious food. We really do have so many things to be thankful for and its important to remember those everyday, not just Thanksgiving.

Today is a new day and I am detoxing...for the rest of the week actually. After a few too many treats and glasses of vino, I am ready to buckle down on my diet and up my training.  I woke up early and replicated my workout from Saturday; spin class at One Cycle and a 40 minute run around elbow park. It felt so good to be out in the fresh air and have some time to clear my head. I really do enjoy my alone time to think, helps reset my mind and puts things into perspective. What did you get up to today? 

I visualised crossing the finish line at the Hawaii 70.3 half Ironman in Hawaii. This will be my greatest physical accomplishment to date and its been enjoyable so far pushing my body to run further, swim longer and bike my heart out. This sounds a little deep I know but training does that to me! In more preparation for the Ironman, I was recommended by my trainer Jon at 2110 Fitness to read the book, Power Speed Endurance, A Skill-Based Approach to Endurance Training by Brian Mackenzie. I picked it up from Chapters yesterday and today I can't put it down. Brian is the founder of Crossfit Endurance and has created a controversial endurance training foundation based more on intensity principals than slow and steady workouts. This is the method I will be using until our race in May so please keep reading for my progress and updates. Here is the book if you'd like to check it out:

On the nutrition front, I'm not a big believer in the conventional "cleanses" you can buy at pretty much any health food or drugstore, but I do believe in incorporating foods that enable your body to detox for itself. A trick I do every morning is drink a large glass of warm water with lemon juice. Lemon juice is a natural detoxifier and the warm water soothes your bowels. This is probably the easiest way to rid your body of extra water you may be holding and jump start your day so to speak. There is also The Master Cleanse that has been around forever where you eat literally nothing for 10 days but drink purified water with lemon juice, cayenne pepper and a tbsp of 100 percent pure maple syrup. I have done this cleanse (while competing for a fitness competition actually) and I sure got lean on it but thought I was going to pass out while training so hard. I definitely don't recommend the Master Cleanse but I do from time to time sip the drink throughout the day while sticking to my regular meal plan. This is beneficial after the holidays where you may have indulged a bit too much like I always do.

A few other items your body will thank you for is Ginger and Peppermint. Both come in a tea form that I drink almost everyday, or ginger is great to add to soups, stews or stir fry's. Both act to neutralise the acid in our stomachs, relieve indigestion and heartburn and soothe even the worst tummy ache. Ginger is also great for nausea. If any of you ladies are preggers, ginger should become your best friend! These two herbal remedies are much gentler ways to honour your body than the harsh cleanses sold on the market.

With all this detoxing, you still need to eat! I cooked so much this weekend, my fridge is stocked with grassfed meatloaf, stew, left over turkey and home-made meatballs. Meatballs are very easy to prepare and you can make a ton of them to freeze for a quick meal or snack when your short on time. We probably made 5 dozen this weekend. Preparation is key for success! I hear soooooo many times; "I don't have time to cook or eat healthy"...umm neither do I, but I MAKE time. It's really about setting your priorities. If you have time to watch two hours of TV a night then you most certainly have time to create some healthy meals for the week. What is more important to you?

Here is the meatball recipe that you can create in less than 30 minutes:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place 2lbs of ground beef (grassfed preferred) in a large bowl.
Add one egg and half of a large onion minced.
Add 1/3 cup of coconut flour.
Sprinkle your favourite salt free seasonings and knead your (clean) hands through the meat...this is the fun part haha.
Make sure you have a cookie sheet lined and ready to go.
Pick up about a Tbsp of meat, smoosh in your hand and gently roll until it forms a ball. I usually make my meatballs a bit larger since they shrink when you cook them.
Once all the meatballs are created, place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Then flip or turn over and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes.
Take out of the over to cool and serve. Presto! That wasn't very hard, was it? :)

I froze a few dozen of ours in plastic freezer lock bags and kept a few to add to cooked vegetables and salads. You really can't ever go wrong with this kind of meal. Eat your veggies friends!!

This is a short work week for most of us so time to get focused with our goals and do what is necessary to succeed. What I have learned in greater detail recently, is that you CAN or CANNOT do something based on what you believe about yourself. If you think you can't do something, change your story! You are the author of your book and why not make it an awesome one? I plan on accomplishing more than I ever have this year and I KNOW I'm going to do it. Its taken me a while to get to this place and I have a lot of people in my life who are helping me achieve these dreams that I'm forever grateful to. If you need some help, and we all usually do, send me a note! I'm always hear to listen and provide any advice I can. Sometimes all you need is a little pep talk and you'll be on your way to greatness :)

I hope everyone has a great night and I look forward to chatting with you soon.

Wishing you lots of blessings and love,
Sam :)

Food Coma

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone is enjoying the day. It's felt like a long week for me, being sick and lots going on at work has made me appreciate the start of the weekend that much more. Having my in-laws here this week has actually been a God sent. Two nights ago we came home from work to a sparkling clean house and a huge, actually MASSIVE pot of grassfed beef stew simmering in the oven. I instantly felt relief when I walked though our door. I posted a picture on my facebook and instagram accounts of the stew and to be honest I didn't contribute to making any of it...I know, gasp. My mother in-law is a rockstar cook and luckily she is sharing her wisdom with me...and you :) We are replicating the stew tomorrow so then I can take some credit for it but I've definitely been eating it! For those who missed it, here is what the deliciousness looked like and her (not so secret anymore recipe):

Pre-Heat oven to 250 degrees.
In a frying pan, saute 1-2 cups of mushrooms with a tablespoon of coconut oil.
Add 2lbs of stewing beef with a bit of water in a roaster (what you use to cook a turkey) along with 3 chopped stalks of celery, 1 whole minced onion and the sauteed mushrooms.
Place on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 1.5 hours.

In the meantime, chop a bag of parsnips, bag of carrots (pealed first), half of a finely chopped cabbage, and 3 or 4 small/medium sized turnips cubed.
Once 1.5 hours is up, add vegetables, 1 litre of low sodium organic beef broth, two cloves of chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste and a whole lot of seasonings. Basil, Mrs. Dash, Parsley and salt-free Italian seasoning is great.
Cook for 2 hours now and up the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

After those two hours are up, add a bit more broth if needed (depending how juicy you like it), and about 1/3 cup of almond or coconut flour for thickening. Most recipes call for gravy mix or cornstarch but we don't want that so this can be used as a good substitute. You can also omit this part, just taste the stew and see how you like it so far. You can also add a bit more coconut oil for substance.

Cook for another hour at 350 degrees and 15 minutes before its finished, add 3 cups of frozen peas.
If you have a lot of time, you can reduce the heat again to 250 and cook longer (the longer it simmers, the more flavourful the stew). If not, take out to cool and enjoy! This stew is so hearty you can eat it alone or with some gluten free Amy's crackers if you'd like some crunch. Phew, glad I'm done posting that part!

Last night we were too tired to cook so we decided to go to one of our favourite restaurants in Calgary, Cravings Market. This place is a gem filled with different food stations sure to fulfil even the pickiest eater. Since it was Friday and we were sort of celebrating our engagement, we indulged! We each had an entree; I had a festive meal of turkey, vegetables and homemade stuffing (only had a small bit since it had gluten in it) and the others had wood oven pizza. We also had one of my favourite wines; Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon, yam fries and flour less chocolate cupcakes, we were stuffed! This all lead to the food coma I experienced last night when your just so full you can barely move haha. It was sooo worth it though. Sometimes you just gotta say to hell with your diet, I'm eating cake! Here is a partial pic of the feast (I gobbled up the turkey way too fast):

This morning I slept in until 7:30am which is seriously late for me, had a delicious home-made pumpkin chai-latte (this time with coffee) and headed to meet a girlfriend for spin class at One Cycle. If you haven't been to this place, you are missing out! By far the hardest spin classes I've ever been to with the absolute best music. Feels like you're in a night club minus the creepy guys and hangover the next day haha. The classes are 50 minutes long and you will be drenched in sweat, I love that. After spin, I laced up my runners and ran for an additional 40 minutes through elbow park in mission. I know to most this seems a bit nuts and honestly I would never recommend this much cardio in a row, except that  I'm training for a half-ironman so I need to get used to these long workouts. It was a perfect fall day out so I cranked up my ipod and persevered. I used to live in this part of town and still miss it to this day. The elbow river is beautiful and I took in all the scenery on my run.

After my crazy workout,  I came home and steamed in our steam shower my fiance built. This thing is friggin amazing and I'm not just saying that because of him. First off its huge and can probably fit about 4 adults comfortably, has a long bench to sit or lay on, and chroma therapy lights that are supposed to have health benefits that I actually can't remember at the moment. I will post pictures of this baby soon for you to see. It was the perfect ending for my sore muscles. Then I was starving and needed some carbs so had some Love Crunch gluten free granola (such a great snack) with some Greek yogurt all mixed together...so good. Then about an hour later I had some left over stew, training makes me so hungry I swear and LOTS of water. Its so important to hydrate; at least 8 classes of water a day, and I probably double or triple that some days.

Then it was time to grocery shop, my favourite task! Since the in-laws are here, we decided to take a family trip to the store...on a Saturday..of a long weekend. It was busy to say the least. We made it out in about an hour and we got to cookin. I'm taking advantage of my mother-in laws culinary skills so today we are preparing two gluten-free meat loafs, lasagna, another batch of stew and about a pound of meatballs for us to freeze. YUMMMMM! The best part is that its all 100 percent grass fed beef. We ordered half a cow a couple weeks ago so our freezer is bursting with meat. Who wants to come over for dinner?? Here are a few pics of what we prepared today. Most of its still in the oven so I'll have better pics tomorrow :)

Tonight we're having some friends over for dinner (lasagna) which I will post tomorrow and probably watching a movie. These are what a lot of my Saturday nights have turned into lately but I think I'm OK with that :) I'm planning a girl's trip soon so lots to look forward to! Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far and I really appreciate you reading my blog. Samantha's Bewitchin Kitchens has brought me so much joy lately and I really look forward to posting and hearing your feedback so thank you.

Wishing you lots of blessings and love,
Sam :)

What's hidden in YOUR fridge?

I'm feeling a bit better today, sleeping a thousand hours yesterday definitely helped my cold. Plus I had a busy day planned out so up and at 'em I went. Normally I wake up at 5am (early bird remember) but today I had a blissful rest until 6:30am. Its really the little things in life :)

My soon to be in-laws came to visit today for the week to celebrate Thanksgiving. I feel very grateful to be joining such a loving family but still wanted to impress them with my domestic skills. For my first task I decided to clean out the fridge. This was quite a bit more overwhelming then I anticipated, are you aware of what can be lurking in your fridge?! It was quite humbling seeing the two year old salad dressings, ketchup with barely one tablespoon left and more barbecue sauces that I would ever know what to do with..I could go on. After throwing out almost all of our condiments and washing endlessly with Mr. Clean, our fridge was sparkling white again. Are you ready for the big reveal...ta da!

It's really not that exciting I know, but at least its organized! It actually reminds me of the show that MTV used to air, Cribs. Did you watch it? It was a bunch of celebrities showcasing their mansions; 15 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, movie theatre...you get the idea. My favourite part was always when they opened their fridges. Usually there were mainly beverages, celebrities don't really eat right?? But I always felt I had a little glimpse into their personal lives.

I haven't done our Thanksgiving grocery shopping yet so fridge is looking a little scarce but lots of Perrier, Almond Milk, delicious home-maid Kombucha, lots of eggs and egg whites, unpasteurised sauerkraut, Greek yogurt, home-made soup and cut up veggies. The main feature is the slimy Scoby's sitting in their juice waiting to be made into more Kombucha. (I had a long chat with some girlfriends today about what a Scoby is). That will be saved for a future post where I'll give you detailed instructions on how to make this miracle tea.

After cleaning was done, time for some dinner. To be honest, I'm still not feeling well so this is a sick woman's attempt at home-made chicken soup. Here is the simple recipe if you'd like to try:

Boil 2 cups of organic beef broth on medium/high heat
Add 1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup minced onions
1 pre-cooked skinless chicken breast
Add pinch of sea salt and any salt free seasonings of your choice; parsley and Mrs. Dash are great options
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until vegetable are soft
Turn off oven and pour soup into your favourite bowl to enjoy.

I had mine with some Amy's Gluten Free crackers and a crisp glass of home-made Kombucha.

If the suspense is killing you about what Kombucha is, please visit my friend Charly's website. She is a Personal Trainer/Nutritionist who I often reference and is an amazing cook. She was the one who first taught me how to make this magic tea :) http://energylife.ca/Recipes is filled with many grain-free cooking options.

I hope everyone is having a great night and just think, tomorrow is Thursday...which is one day closer to Friday. Boom!

Sending you blessings and love,
Sam :)

Can you see the Rainbow?

Today was a sick day for me. The last few days I've been fighting the achy, stuffy nose, sore throat, cough (this is not a NyQuil plug I swear) feeling and last night it finally broke. Woke up today with no voice and couldn't get my head off the pillow. My boss told me to get some rest yesterday because I didn't look like myself so I knew he wouldn't be surprised I was staying home. So I listened to my body and rested. ALL day pretty much. Its amazing how much you can sleep when your under the weather. Fortunately I had a little snuggle bug, my Maltese dog Miss Mia who was quite happy to nap with her mom for the day.

In between napping and blowing my nose, I answered some emails for work and obviously checked in on my favourite social media sites. Everyone looks at Facebook when their sick, please don't judge! Around 3:30pm my phone rang which I ignored but they had left a voicemail. This is the only way I will check my phone because my curiosity always gets the best of me. What is the message is super important?? It happened to be our jeweller calling saying my engagement ring was done being sized. Yay! My fiance proposed a few weeks ago and I wore the ring for a while but ultimately it was just too big. I grudgingly gave it back to the jeweller and today the long await is over. This perked up my spirits so I dragged my bum out of bed, put on my favourite lulu's and out the door I went. After picking up my ring (in the rain by the way) I got in my car and started to drive home. Within a few minutes, the sun started to come out and a beautiful rainbow appeared right before my eyes. It was huge! If I hadn't gotten the call about my ring, I would of missed the enchanting sight I had just witnessed. Rainbows always remind me of magic and good fortune (I've watched too many Disney movies with leprechauns and pots of gold), but it really did get me thinking about how grateful I am lately. Sometimes we have to go through the rain in life so to speak to get to the sunshine and rainbows. I hope everyone leaving work today in Calgary was able to the see the bright lines in the sky and gives you a little something to be grateful about too :) Here are some pics that I took, I pulled my car over I promise.

Now I'm back home and to warm up I've made my own version of Pumpkin Spiced Chai-tea latte that I would like to share with you:

1 Green tea bag or any tea of your choice (boil or microwave and steep for about three minutes
In a magic bullet or blender, add about 1/4 cup of Almond milk or more if like it really creamy
1 tbsp of organic pumpkin and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
Add a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg and blend away for about 30 seconds
Pour concoction into your tea and sprinkle with more cinnamon on top
Voila!
I served mine with a bit of dark chocolate (I'm sick, chocolate cheers me up)

Wishing you all a great night, and back to bed I go :)

Momentum Monday's

According to Merriam-webster.com, Momentum is defined as:

: the strength or force that something has when it is moving
: the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes, all of which to me means...GET MOVING! Monday's are always a bit tough, we are tired from the weekend and getting back into the grove at work which can lead to having the "Monday blues". One thing I am committed to doing on this blog is posting every Monday to keep myself accountable and hopefully have something to brighten your day :) Consistency is a big thing for me and if I'm going to do something, I like to do it all the time. So on Monday's for example, I always work out. Even if I'm tired, cranky, whatever, I force myself to get out of bed and get moving. Usually I head to my gym, 2110 Fitness in Calgary for the 6:15am Rise and Shine classes. These are HIIT/crossfit type classes that have challenged me like no other. Here is their website if your interested! http://www.2110fitness.com/ Once 45 minutes has gone by, the endorphins have kicked in and I somehow see the day with a new light. If your not an early bird like me, lunch hour is a great time to get moving and many office buildings now have gyms that you can escape to. Whatever you can do to move, even if its just for 15 minutes will help create a more positive mindset and your body will thank you.

Now on to something more fun...What are you having for dinner?? This is something I ponder about throughout the day but I'm getting better with pre-planning our week's meals. Here is a quick recipe I created last week that I thouroughly enjoyed. I must warn you that I am the queen of concoctions so get ready for some weird mixes! They all generally taste great I promise :)

Samantha's Shrimp!

Place a large skillet on your oven grill at medium temperature
Add 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil and let simmer
Add one bag of thawed shrimp (I thaw it over night) and grill until almost cooked (stirring frequently)
Add 1/2 cup of Coconut Milk (I use Thai Kitchen available at most grocery stores) and stir until shrimps are covered
Add 1 tsp cocoa powder and stir (this will give it a sweet and salty taste)
Add a sprinkle of sea salt until desired taste
Add 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add a sprinkle of cinnamon
Simmer heat and stir for about 5 more minutes. In total this should only take about 10-12 minutes as shirmp doesn't need to be cooked that long. Serve with a side of Sweet Potatoes or Squash and you've got yourself the perfect fall meal. This should feed about 3-4 people depending on appetites. Enjoy!

So I started a blog...

Hi Everyone,

Well here goes...I've started a blog. Samantha's Bewitchin Kitchens is a looooong time coming but must admit, I've procrastinated getting started. The reason...fear! It can be scary to put your thoughts out there for the world to see or gasp..judge, however I've put on my big girl panties and I'm ready! This blog will mainly be about my passion for healthy, gluten-free cooking, fitness related articles and entertaining life shenanigans...never a dull moment over here! Growing up, Bewitched was one of my favourite shows and I was teased for looking like a mini Elizabeth Montgomery, which I secretly loved, so paired with my love for cooking, I felt the name was a match made in paleo heaven :)

I've also had a health secret I've kept quiet for almost 4 years now that I know can help others if I just had the courage to share my story...I have Crohn's Disease. There I said it...wasn't that bad I guess. Although it has taken me lots of training to say that without crying...ask my best friends. I know that Crohn's is not a life-sentence but at the time for me it was. I have always been active and taken my health seriously so I couldn't understand why this had happened to me. Numerous hospitals visits and receiving almost no guidance from my doctors who said that "nutrition" had nothing to do with my healing, led me to my own research and a gluten-free happy lifestyle I adhere to today. While this blog will not address Crohn's solely, I did want to put it out there in case others who suffer from this disease needed some inspiration that you CAN live an extraordinary life and kick a$$ doing it! By no means am I perfect with my diet at all times; who doesn't love chocolate and vino?? I do consciously try and make healthy choices most of the time. I appreciate all who have taken the time to read this and I look forward to entertaining and educating you on Samantha's Bewitchin Kitchens :)