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Top Tips For Surviving Vacation Time

Summer is here! It’s time to let loose and enjoy, we’ve all earned it.

We recently hit the road to go visit our daughter AND IT FELT GREAT to be going somewhere! The last thing on my mind was about behaving and being good.

But still…

Practicing a little tiny bit of strategic prevention will be a gift to yourself come fall time.

Yo-yoing isn’t kind to your body or your soul.

Here are my top tips to get through the summer holiday so you can hit the ground running this fall.

Top tips for surviving vacation time:

  • Aim to maintain. Stress has been high, it’s finally summer, be kind to yourself! Vacation time isn’t a time to be trying to lose weight but you can aim to maintain the weight you’re currently at.
    Continue weighing yourself every day (or as much as possible) . Keep yourself accountable and make micro-adjustments rather than falling asleep at the wheel and then waking up an angry camper in September.
  • Drink water. Getting enough pure water is one of the most important things for easy weight maintenance and allows your body to flush out accumulated toxins. This is a biggie. To calculate how much water you should be drinking: take your weight in kilograms multiplied by 35. This will give you how many milliliters of water you should be drinking every day. If you weigh more than 250 lbs. or 113 kg, cap your water intake at 4 liters per day. Try to get most of your water in between meals to avoid diluting those precious digestive juices.
  • Eat slowly and chew. Almost no one chews enough. Poor chewing or eating when stressed or distracted is the root cause of so many digestive problems. Set down your utensils between bites and fully chew the bite that’s in your mouth before filling your fork, aim for 20 chews per bite. Really savor that delicious food and if you’re lucky enough to be enjoying your food with other people, enjoy them too.
  • Take some extra time during your vacation to do the things you love and don’t always make the time for. Read, pray, meditate, walk, paint, draw, sing… Pay attention to how you feel after doing that thing. You may be inspired to schedule it in more regularly.
  • Alternate alcohol and water. Drink and be merry but be kind to your liver. Our livers bear the brunt of our overindulgences. Alternate alcoholic drinks with a big glass of water or keep some sparkling water handy to enjoy between toasts.
  • Be moderate. Have a bit of everything but check your portions and go back for seconds of the really good stuff. My daughter has this concept nailed. We always know if Kiana has had a go at a box of chocolates because of the tiny bites that are missing out of each one. She’s not wasting her precious chocolate quota on less than delicious choices. If it isn’t absolutely decadent – pass.
    Avoid snacking between meals. Allowing a break between scrumptious meals without snacking will allow your body to fully digest the previous meal. Digestion is demanding on the system and can take energy away from repair, detoxification and maintenance. This will also help keep insulin levels (the fat building hormone) stable.
  • Stay regular. Keep your bowels moving daily. Constipation puts a huge burden on the body. Eat plenty of vegetables and take extra fiber such as chia, ground flax or psyllium or pack a magnesium supplement.
  • Catch up on your sleep. Stress and sleep deprivation have a cumulative effect on the body, particularly on weight gain and aren’t given enough screen time in our culture. Take the steps for great zzzs
popping open a bottle of bubbly on the beach

popping open a bottle of bubbly on the beach

beach bonfire

beach bonfire

Positive change never comes from punishing, hateful self-talk. Sustainable change happens when we step into our lives and take full responsibility. You’ve got this!

Contact me if you’d like to book a free 30 minute discovery call to see how you can take your health to the next level.

Wishing you a restful and kind summer vacation.

Cheers,

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An Argument For Real Food

Why should you go through all of the trouble to cook your own food when you could just buy it?

We have countless fast, made-for-you meal options, aisles and aisles of tasty, cheap food.

Why carve out the time to do this for ourselves?

Because food manufacturers don’t really care about your health.

Take this podcast with you on your next walk or drive to help deepen why we need to be our own health ambassadors and why food and lifestyle changes really matter!

I’m so excited to be hosting my second online cooking class. I know the recipes that I’ll be sharing with you will be a great foundation for you to build on and will inspire you to continue making the small changes that will eventually add up to big health results. Health is a one-way street. As you start noticing the effects of a cleaner and more nutritious diet, you’ll be motivated to continue.

I recently had a client that was balking at cooking her own meals. Her heavy work load and proximity to so many great and tasty meal options created a lot of resistance around batch cooking and freezing meals.

I told her that anytime she purchased a prepared meal; even something as healthy-sounding as frozen black bean burgers, she was purchasing someone else’s batch cooking.

When you cook your own food, you ensure top quality ingredients and maximum nutrition. And there are ways to do it and hold down your day job.

What do you think your body does when it needs nutrients?

It signals hunger!

When you give your body processed, refined or empty foods, your body, (although getting plenty of calories) is left starving for nutrients. As you begin eating more wholesome, natural foods, you will notice cravings and ravenous hunger diminish.

Good quality meat and animal products are not bad for you. Factory-farmed meat and dairy is. When you learn how to source your food, you will get the benefit of maximum nutrients and know that you’re a part of the solution rather than the problem.

You’ll avoid using inflammatory fats and switch it up for good quality anti-inflammatory fats. Yes! Those cheap salad dressings that live on the grocery store shelf could be contributing to your joint pain, inflammation and heart disease.

It will be much easier to control the amount of carbohydrates you take in making it easier to maintain a healthy weight because restaurant food or meal delivery services like GoodFood are all carb-heavy.

You’ll avoid chemical flavoring agents and preservatives. Read a package label, if you can’t pronounce it, there’s a good chance that your body doesn’t know what to do with it either. These substances add to your toxic load contributing to body acidity, inflammation and disease.

Will eating the occasional additive, chemical preservative or processed food kill you?

Of course not. But these foods and ingredients have a cumulative effect on the body that does add up over time.

I challenge you to make a few of the delicious changes I propose. Your body and your taste buds will have you coming back for more.

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Who Says Meatloaf Can’t Be Sexy?

We’ve got things to do, places to be, people to see! Whoooeee, feels good to say that doesn’t it?

We have earned the right to spend some time outside the kitchen. Which is why all of the recipes I selected for my upcoming workshop are designed to deliver maximum flavor and can be made ahead.

There’s no getting around cooking your own food when you’re concerned about health or weight. It may as well be delicious.

Cook smart not more!

Having things ready to go in the freezer is a lifesaver. I want to show you how to maximize your time in the kitchen without sacrificing on taste or quality. Meal prep should be a rainy day thing.

Did I mention it’s going to rain on June 20th? O.K. I’m not 100% certain of that but either way, the workshop will be recorded.

You’re looking at my supper last night; aka Sexy Meatloaf (it was a delicious one pot supper with enough leftovers for two or three lunches)

This is one of the recipes that we’ll be making together and it’s a staple in my freezer.

Yesterday was busy and I hadn’t taken anything out for supper.

So here’s the play by play:

4:27 tuned on oven
4:28 pulled frozen meatloaf from the freezer

frozen meatloaf

frozen meatloaf

4:32 frozen meatloaf in oven to brown
4:32 to 4:42 veg and ingredient prep

prepped vegetables, spices and seasonings

4:42 broth, beer, onions, cloves, bay leaves and carrots went into the pot with the meatloaf
4:43 to 5:35 went to store, went to garden center, back home, unloaded car, puttered in garden, emptied dishwasher, did lunch and breakfast dishes
5:36 baby potatoes went in pot
5:37 to 6:00 chatted with hubby on porch
6:01 mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli in pot
6:15 kale and tomato in, meatloaf out
6:16 to 6:24 set table, sliced meatloaf, poured wine
6:25 supper

The tips and recipes that I will be sharing in the Making Healthy Delicious workshop are all the ones I use in my regular rotation.

The amount of spaces are limited so reserve soon!

I look forward to cooking with you.

Share this with someone you love.

Cheers,
Kim

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Love Your Home Cooked Food

A couple of years ago I had a friend over for lunch. When she asked me for the recipe of whatever I had made, I answered honestly; I hardly ever cook with recipes because I’m really bad at following them.

I use recipes for inspiration or for ideas for flavor combinations but my family can attest that I tend to go off the rails pretty quickly whenever I attempt to follow a recipe. My baking attempts are never pretty.

This friend suggested that I keep a notebook in my kitchen to jot down my kitchen creations.

I did and my food-smeared notebook is what I referred to when creating the Making Healthy Delicious Workshop

kim's kitchen creations notebook

kim’s kitchen creations notebook

Just like everyone, my life is busy. If I don’t have a plan, there’s a big chance that we’ll be calling for takeout or buying frozen dumplings from the grocery store.

Takeout and dumplings are always going to happen. When it happens so often that my pants start to shrink – it’s a sign that it’s time to rein things in.

I noticed that certain recipes kept coming back into my regular rotation and these were the meals that I was making in large batches and freezing. My number one rule is if it isn’t delicious, it doesn’t go into the freezer.

These are the recipes I’ll be sharing with you in my upcoming workshop. The ones that go in often and (most importantly) come back out and get gobbled up!

the inside of my freezer

the inside of my freezer

You’re looking at frozen containers of stews, soups, curries, broth, hummus, garlic butter a couple of meatloaves…, the dumplings are hiding in the back 😉 .

I want you to love your home cooked food.

I’ve designed the workshop so that you can cook along in your own kitchen. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to download a complete list of ingredients, all of the recipes as well as some bonus material that I know you’ll love.

The entire workshop will be recorded in case you can’t make it live.

I’ve limited the amount of spaces so reserve soon!

Share this with someone you love.

Cheers,
Kim

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Smoothie Challenge

This picture below sums up why I do what I do.

healthy senior couple riding a cool Vespa

This is what I want my retirement to look like. Fun, happy, productive, a little off the wall…

Is eating healthy an absolute guarantee that I’ll be lucky and age gracefully and painlessly? No, but it can’t hurt to at least put the odds in my favor right?

I’m sure no one would choose hanging around in waiting rooms over tooting around on a cool Vespa, so why not start stacking your odds now?

There’s a lot of overwhelm and confusion surrounding diet and lifestyle changes. There’s so much contradictory information out there that it can easily become paralyzing.

So how do you begin to sort it all out and cut through all the noise?

The key is to just start.

I’d like to invite you to a friendly challenge; all you’ll have to do is add this one thing in at breakfast.

Just two weeks of super-nourishing yourself. You won’t have to cut anything out or change anything else in your life.

Throughout the two weeks, you’re going to pay attention to your digestion, your energy, your weight, your cravings, your inflammation, your skin, your bowels…

I’m not claiming that this one thing will fix all of your problems, but you may just notice a shift.

Hopefully the shift will inspire you to continue finding ways to incorporate more and more of the good stuff into your every day.

Health is a one way street and once you start feeling better, it’s usually pretty addictive.

One thing is certain; giving your body more nutrient-dense foods can never hurt.

The clip you’re about to watch was inspired by a recipe I shared in last year’s online cooking workshop.

You’ve probably seen more polished videos before but if this helps get you past not being a smoothie person, and just giving it a try, then it will be worth it.

Watch the video here
Get the recipe here

If you’re interested in finding ways to incorporate more healthy into your everyday, then consider joining me for a fun and delicious online cooking workshop.

Get all the details here.


A recording of the entire workshop will be sent out to everyone who signs up.

Spaces are limited so share this with someone you love.

I look forward to cooking with you,

 

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What’s holding you back?

 

Laughing woman talking and preparing meals at table full of vegetables and pasta ready for cooking in kitchen

For many people, when talking about diet and healthy eating, they’re either completely in or completely out.

I’m talking about that diet mentality that invariably leads to self-sabotage and then self-loathing, then dieting again…. Sound familiar?

Just the word diet feels heavy, sad and deprived doesn’t it?

Diets are not sustainable which is why they generally don’t work.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we need to implement short trips into diet land. Hit it hard in order to get things to shift, but nobody wants to live there forever.

My most successful clients are the ones that manage to move out of diet mentality.

They do a great job at integrating their new healthier foods into their regular rotation. They embrace making it a part of their everyday.

Do you know why they can embrace changing up their old habits and ways of eating?

Because they’re making it TASTE GOOD!

In fact, in a lot of cases, making these (often dreaded) changes ends up being a win win.

They’re eating healthier, feeling better AND they love their food.

What if I told you that changing up some of your old recipes or fallbacks for the new ones featured in this workshop will be the easiest thing you’ve done in a long time?

Delicious food is my first love. Health, vitality and prevention – is my passion. This workshop ties all of that together. I can’t wait!

Food is powerful and it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Every small change adds up to big deposits in your health bank.

So what’s holding you back?

Click here to get all the details and the list of recipes that we’ll be making.

Share this with someone you love.

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Making Healthy Delicious

What comes to mind when I say: clean diet or healthy eating?

For many people, when talking about diet and healthy eating, they’re either completely in or completely out.

I’m talking about that diet mentality that invariably leads to self-sabotage and then self-loathing, then dieting again…. Sound familiar?

Just the word diet feels heavy, sad and deprived doesn’t it?

Diets are not sustainable which is why they generally don’t work.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we need to implement short trips into diet land. Hit it hard in order to get things to shift, but nobody wants to live there forever.

My most successful clients are the ones that manage to move out of diet mentality.

They do a great job at integrating their new healthier foods into their regular rotation. They embrace making it a part of their everyday.

Do you know why they can embrace changing up their old habits and ways of eating?

Because they’re making it TASTE GOOD!

In fact, in a lot of cases, making these (often dreaded) changes ends up being a win win.

They’re eating healthier, feeling better AND they love their food.

Delicious food is my first love. Health, vitality and prevention – is my passion.

Food is powerful and it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Every small change adds up to big deposits in your health bank.

So what’s holding you back?

Click here to stay up to date on upcoming workshops

Share this with someone you love.

Kim


Presented by Kim L’Ecuyer Bsc, R.H.N. 

As a Registered Holistic Nutrition consultant and certified Metabolic Balance coach, Kim is passionate about food, health and prevention. She particularly loves inspiring folks to love the foods that will love them back.

450-601-4188  |  [email protected]
www.nutritionlecuyer.ca

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My Kind Of Fast Food

 

Switching to a healthier diet and changing habits has to be a win – win if those things are going to stick.

Being a food gal through and through, by win- win I mean it has to be delicious and it has to be doable.

I hear the same story a lot… ‘’I got busy and the wheels fell off the bus’’ or ‘’the stress level went up and all the new habits went out’’

Stressful times are when our bodies crave good nutrition the most. Having a plan in place and a couple of easy go-tos is a game-changer and crucial to staying the course. Because…

Life will happen.

So I’d like to know; what are your best tips or tricks to safeguard against falling back into old (not so healthy) eating habits when life gets busy?

Here’s one of mine:

Roast chicken (get the recipe here)

picture of a delicious roast chicken

We’re lucky enough to raise our own birds and roast chicken is one of my all time favorites.

Our chickens weigh between 7 and 10lbs. That’s a lot of chicken for 2 people.

I used to reserve roast chicken dinners for when I’d be sure to have a whole gang to help us eat it.

Now, even though it’s just the two of us, I cook the whole bird and – no I don’t eat chicken for the next 2 weeks…

I freeze half for a quick delicious roast chicken dinner that’s as delicious the second time around. Seriously, I was amazed.

I love enjoying the mouth watering smell of roast chicken as it cooks (or warms up the second time around). I love the leftovers for quick lunches. I love boiling up the bones for broth (I even freeze the bones if I don’t have time to make broth right away). I love making savory, warming soups from the broth.

Most of all I love that it’s delicious and that nothing goes to waste.

After its cooked, I simply allow the bird to cool a bit, cut it down the breast bone length-wise and freeze half with a little of the gravy or cooking juice. See the recipe for all the details.

Pair it with a tossed salad or some roasted veggies and bam, supper with enough leftovers for a few quick lunches.

That’s my kind of fast food.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Kim

Presented by Kim L’Ecuyer Bsc, R.H.N.

As a Registered Holistic Nutrition consultant and certified Metabolic Balance coach, Kim is passionate about food, health and prevention. She particularly loves inspiring folks to love the foods that will love them back.

450-601-4188 | [email protected]
www.nutritionlecuyer.ca

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Client Highlight: Meet Courtney

 

I’m always inspired by the power of food and lifestyle changes. The reason for that is because of my amazing clients.

I’ve decided to try something new and give you a small sample of the kinds of transformations I get to be a part of everyday.

Meet Courtney;Meet beautiful Courtney

 

Courtney is a vibrant young entrepreneur. She decided to join Metabolic Balance to lose weight, to naturally balance blood sugar levels in order to help with PCOS and for some help with digestive issues.

Courtney was a self-proclaimed fast-food junkie but she’s been a great sport about trying new foods even ones she wasn’t crazy about before.

Two weeks into her plan, Courtney was down 12 lbs., had no more heartburn and had noticed improvements in her skin.

Seven weeks into her plan, she’s down 21 lbs., rates her skin as amazing, is sleeping well, feeling more energized and has been rocking it in the kitchen.

Courtney is naturally creative and she’s been pouring her energy and talent into creating delicious dishes that she can pack for work and to have ready for when she gets home from a long, busy day.

I’m so grateful that Courtney has trusted me to be a part of her wellness journey.

I’m amazed at the transformation from takeout queen to budding foodie and I know that she’s making changes that will serve her for a lifetime.

Congratulations on making healthy delicious Courtney!

Here are a few words from her:

Q. What do you like best about Metabolic Balance?

A. What I like most are the results, it’s crazy how fast you see and feel them. In a short amount of time I could see my skin clear up and my heartburn was gone. Results like that really motivate you to keep on going.

Q. Talk a little about your journey so far?

A. It’s only been a short amount of time but I’m really happy with how it makes me feel and my plan works perfectly for me. I’m eating tons of new things and trying new recipes. I’m not going to lie, the first two weeks were very challenging, not being able to cook with fats, but I got through it. I’m still having a hard time with being cold but starting to get used to it. I can’t wait to see how my journey will go as I continue.

Q. How would you describe your experience working with Kim?

A. Working with Kim is wonderful, she answers your messages promptly, she is very encouraging and she motivates you to try new things. Trust me, I’m eating things that at the beginning I said I would never eat.

Call me if you’d like to book a free 30 minute discovery session.

Cheers to making healthy delicious!

Kim

Check out what clients have to say here: www.nutritionlecuyer.ca

Presented by Kim L’Ecuyer Bsc, R.H.N.

Kim L'EcuyerAs a Registered Holistic Nutrition consultant and certified Metabolic Balance coach, Kim is passionate about food, health and prevention. She particularly loves inspiring folks to love the foods that will love them back.

450-601-4188 | [email protected]
www.nutritionlecuyer.ca

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Old Cliché Or Powerful Detoxifier?

I’ve always been a lover of good food and the more I learn, the more I’m blown away by the power of food to significantly and quickly shift overall health.

Is it time to change the lens through which you view those three meals a day?

If you’re like most people, food is a way to stave off hunger; for some it’s an inconvenience.

For many people the only criteria for selecting food are taste, cost and convenience.

Perhaps it’s time to reassess those criteria and give food the importance and rank it deserves in order to prevent health conditions that weaken our resilience to infection and disease.

Our health care system is demonstrating that we can’t ignore prevention for very much longer. Wise diet and lifestyle choices are like money in the bank for safeguarding the quality of our tomorrows.

The Metabolic Balance program is a holistic nutrition and lifestyle program that uses food therapeutically. One of the 8 lifestyle guidelines that is built into the program is to eat an apple a day. Easy enough.

When I was first researching this program, I remember thinking that the apple a day guideline was a bit gitchy or just a play on the old cliché ‘’ An apple a day keeps the doctor away’’.

It turns out that an apple a day is a lot more than just a cliché.

Read on to see what I came up with:

Cancer: Apple consumption is linked to a reduced rate of lung cancer in several large studies.

Cardiovascular disease: Apple consumption is directly associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers attribute this to the high flavonoid content of apples.

Asthma and pulmonary function: Specific antioxidants and flavonoids in the apple appear to have a positive impact on asthma and pulmonary function.

Diabetes: Apple consumption has been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. This could be due to the quercetin content; a component found in the peel of the apple.

Weight loss: Higher apple intake is associated with improved weight loss according to a study of overweight women in Brazil.

Cholesterol: Apples lower cholesterol and the main benefits seem to come from the fiber. Again, eating the whole fruit is best.

Detoxification: Apples are one of the best sources of glucaric acid, a compound of calcium D- glucarate.  Calcium D-glucarate is a powerful detoxifier of estrogen and has been linked to preventing breast, prostate and colon cancer as well as removing carcinogens and toxins from the body.

Skin and energy: Apples are one of the best sources of malic acid. Malic acid is commonly used in skin care products and for energy complaints such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

I’ve highlighted the apple here but almost every natural whole food has its own reason to shine when it comes to giving your body what it needs to function optimally.

Join me as I discuss how the Metabolic Balance method can help you manage your weight, regain your vitality, reduce inflammation, balance hormones and prevent health problems naturally using only delicious whole foods – including an apple a day.

Consider sharing this with someone you love.

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