10 Days of Healthy Habits - Day 1: Water!

This post is part of a Facebook-Series I will be doing from January 1-10th, 2014 called 10 Days of Healthy Habits. If you aren't already following me on Facebook, get your butt over there! Tips & Tricks, Recipes, Workouts + Motivation - Facebook.com/BrilliantByBrooke. On to the good stuff... 

Healthy Habit #1: WATER! 

"I know I should be drinking more water, but it's so hard" - a lot of people I know (ha ha! :))

- Set your Intentions -> If you can chug a pint of beer when you're out with your friends, you can do the same with water. Picture a plant that is watered each day, and now picture one that has gone a week without a watering can. Our bodies work in much the same way. Water is one of the most key ingredients to health. 

- Start Your Day Off Right -> Down 1 Litre of water upon waking. Use a measuring cup to measure out 1 Litre, if you don't have a large enough glass at home, make your mission of today to buy one. Fill this glass with 1 full Litre of water and leave it on your bedside table so that it is the first thing you see when you wake up.

- Know How Much You Need -> My rec is 1/2 to 1 full ounce of water per lb of body weight, per day. Read: Aim for 3-4 Litres a day.

- Pencil Yourself In -> Set timers on your phone! Litre #1 by 9 am, Litre #2 by 12 noon, Litre #3 by 3 pm, Litre #4 by 6 pm. Write it out. Follow through.

- Poppin' Bottles -> Go to 7-11. Pick out one of those big jumbo guys - I never buy water in a bottle smaller than 1 Litre. Buy a fun bottle... I know Fiji water's an extra $1, but when you really think of it... what's $1 if it is the tipping point that helps you build a new, healthy habit?

- Ice, Ice Baby! -> Add Ice to your water. In order to maintain homeostasis (our body's naturally balanced state) our bodies will actually use energy to heat the water up to body temperature. Read: Free calorie burn!

- Sweat Sesh -> Drink 250 ml (1 cup) every 20 mins of exercise. During an hour long sweat sesh, you should go through 3/4 of a Litre of water.

- Sip, Sip, Munch -> Downing too much water during a meal actually does more harm than good. When our belly's got too much extra water sloshing around, the naturally secreted digestive enzymes get diluted and our food isn't properly digested. Read: Gas, Bloating, Not absorbing all of the nutrients from the food. Limit your water intake to 250 ml (1 cup) during meals. The trick is to sip between meals.

1 Simple Step a Day... You Got This! 

Yours in Strength + Stretchiness,

- Brooke
xoxo

Not-So-Naughty Sweets: Gingerbread Bliss Balls

Back so soon? Ah, I knew those cheesy-eggy muffins would keep you coming back for more! ;-)

This morning we are switching gears a bit from our breakfast focus to mmmmm.... SWEETS! As I'm sure you all know, sweets are absolutely ev-er-y-where! You can run, but you can't hide... ha ha! So, besides incorporating my other Healthy Holiday Tips, whipping up a batch of these super-easy, incredibly delicious Gingerbread Bliss Balls will promise to keep you off the naughty list this year.

Why are these little gems so great? Oh, so glad you asked!

- NO sugar, NO butter, NO oil, NO flour. For real. 
- sweetened with nature's candy: dates
- dates have a super low "GI score" which means the sugars are released slowly and steadily into your blood keeping you feeling full and satisfied longer
- they are only 100 calories a pop and packed with 4 SUPERfoods... score
- they take 10 minutes to make -> whip up a double batch, seal in airtight container and keep them in the freezer until you're called upon to contribute some goodies for a holiday party - easy peasy! 

Gingerbread Bliss Balls
Adapted from Running On Real Food + Nutritionist In The Kitch 

1 1/4 c pecan pieces
1 c quick oats
2 tbsp cinnamon
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 cup dates (approximately 20)
a few grinds of fresh sea salt

Throw pecan pieces and quick oats into a food processor (I use my Magic Bullet because Santa hasn't brought me my long-awaited food processor yet *wink wink Santa*). Process until close to a flour consistency. 

Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt to the pecan/oat flour you have created and pulse to distribute evenly. 

Now here's where the dates come in. If you have pitted dates, simply chop them up roughly and add to the processor - if they are not pitted, remove the pits, chop and add to processor.  Process until a nice dough forms. Add honey and molasses to the mixture and fold these ingredients into the dough with your hands. 

 Grab a tablespoon sized chunk of dough, roll into balls, and place on a nice big cookie tray lined with parchment or tin foil. If the dough sticks to your hands while you're rolling, a little water on your hands really helps to un-stick it all :) Put the tray of bliss balls into the freezer to set and transfer into an airtight container or baggie to store. Because these goodies are free from preservatives, they are best stored in the freezer. 

Fit Tip: Dates can be purchased at pretty much any grocery store - and trust me - I've tried them all! Some are too dry, some have those funky little nubs on the end, some are pricier than others. I've found that Save-On-Foods' newest brand is the best - the most moist, fresh, and well priced. Wrapped in a little yellow cardboard box in the Produce section and are called "Bam" dates. But feel free to use whichever brand you prefer, of course!

I hope you all enjoy this delicious, nutritious recipe and am more than happy to answer any questions you have about this recipe or any of the other tips I've provided. 

For now, I'll leave you with one of my favorites.. 

"Success is a sum of several small efforts, repeated day in and day out" - Robert Collier


Yours in strength & stretchiness,

- Brooke

Facebook | @BrilliantByBrooke
Twitter | @BrilliantByB
Instagram | @BrookeNatashaFit

Lean, Mean + Clean Eats: Spicy Turkey Chili with Basil-Bombed Cornbread

Mmmm... how could you not?

Ohhhh another cold, snowy day in Edmonton. If it weren't for my 3 day weekend, I might have been a little bummed! ha 

For those of you who I haven't caught up, I've got some exciting things on the go right now! I have one more test left until I am done my CanFitPro Personal Trainer certification (how exciting, right??!) and have already moved on to working towards my Nutrition Coach certification. Needless to say, my day was full of protein synthesis, muscular concepts, a big ol' mug of coffee and a big cozy fireplace and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Dad's in town from Calgary this weekend and stopped by my place for a quick lunch on his way in and this chili made for a perfect little lunch. (Original recipe cred: Lisa Lavery on chow.com) I picked up a package of Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix (gluten-free) which I made with coconut oil and used my bestie Christal's little trick -- fresh chopped basil stuffed into the cornbread to add an extra punch of flavor. YUM! You've gotta try this, I'm telling you! A nice warm and spicy meal packed with fiber, protein and veggies... what more could you ask for? Here's the magic: 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c jalapenos, diced

1 lb ground turkey

3 tbsp chili powder

fresh ground sea salt + black pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup organic chicken broth

1 can red kidney beans

2 bay leaves

a few shakes of Franks

Heat oil over medium heat in large, deep pan and once hot, add bell pepper, onion, and garlic - cook until soft (about 5 mins). Up the heat from medium to high, and add ground turkey and jalapenos - cook until no longer pink. Add spices and cook until your house smells like home :-) (about 1 min). 

Add brother and can of tomatoes with juices, crank heat to high until pot simmers. Add rinsed beans to pot and re-simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, add hot sauce and bay leaves, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30-45 mins and serve with a spoonful of greek yogurt, a few grates of your fav cheese, some fresh chopped cilantro (gives it a great fresh flavor and balances out the spiciness!) and you're ready to rock :-) 

As for my quote of the day, I am almost more excited to share this with you than the recipe!! ha ha This one lights my heart up... no two ways about it. 

“I FOUND EVERY SINGLE SUCCESSFUL PERSON I'VE EVER SPOKEN TO HAD A TURNING POINT. THE TURNING POINT WAS WHEN THEY MADE A CLEAR, SPECIFIC UNEQUIVOCAL DECISION THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE; THEY WERE GOING TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS. SOME PEOPLE MAKE THAT DECISION AT 15 AND SOME PEOPLE MAKE IT AT 50, AND MOST PEOPLE NEVER MAKE IT ALL.”

BRIAN TRACY

Yours in strength and stretchiness, 

xo Brooke