Eat right

Wow two posts in one day, I'm really on a role haha.
Okay I just wanted to quickly post this cause I saw it and thought it was something we should all know. It kinda goes along with my last post because it's about eating healthy and doing things now to prevent cancer, etc later. And I'm sure you will look better on the outside too (for those of you who may be more concerned with that).

Anyway check it out:)

http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/12/06/7-foods-you-should-never-eat/

Till next time...
Xo Chels

Wanna know your thoughts...

....on this article. I, for one, am naturally very thin and was actually teased about it as a child. After having my children I filled out and carry any weight I gain in my butt! I'm proud of it and the day I grew hips and filled out was a happy day for me. If I don't work out or eat right I don't feel good about myself, if I do then I focus less on what size I am and feel good because I'm healthy. I would rather be healthy on the inside and be a bigger jean size than be scary skinny because I'm not eating right or working out. Being skinny and flabby doesn't feel good to me. Being fuller and maybe more muscular and toned makes me feel great. So I think we should focus less on size and more on what you are doing to make you the size you are. Be your natural you, your healthy you and whatever size that is, so be it! You will probably feel amazing if you know you are doing what you can to take care of your might body and soul!

Now here's that article that sparked this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2085226/PLUS-Model-Magazines-Katya-Zharkova-cover-highlights-body-image-fashion-industry.html

The best damn lasagna you'll ever have.

I’m pretty proud of myself for this one. I’ve changed the recipe a bit but feel free to do as you wish. My step dad and his family came to Canada straight from Italy (northern Italy) and growing up I would beg her to send us her lasagna (we lived in Vancouver) from Mackenzie (a place in Canada, very cold). She couldn’t, but when she would come she would bring some and we would devour it. I’ve never had more amazing lasagna in my life. This isn’t her recipe, but I have to say it comes pretty close to the real thing and it’s not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Doing the layers is actually kind of… dare I say it? Fun. Oh and you’ll see in my pic I used fresh mozzarella on the top, which I would use the sliced next time.

Post pics if you make it and tell me how it goes!




Ingredients
1 lb sweet Italian sausage (I actually didn’t add this)
3/4 pound lean ground beef (I used lean ground turkey)
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed (The trader joes ones that are frozen really help)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce (I used the TJ’s Rustico Pomodoro sauce)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (I didn’t have these in my pantry so I didn’t use them)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used dried and it worked great)
12 lasagna noodles (For this I used the TJ’s no-boil lasagna noodles, made it much easier)
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced (Shredded works too)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a Dutch oven, (or for me a pot with a good lid) cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned or cooked. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds(if you have them), Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. (I forgot to stir and it wasn’t a problem, they simmered nicely!)
***If using normal lasagna noodles***Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)…
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. *Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for *25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional *25 minutes. Cool for *15 minutes before serving.

Healthy obsession

Or so I think...

I'm kinda into cooking because it's actually really... dare I say it... fun. Even if you burn boiling water, you can learn how. This is coming from a girl who's specialty was macaroni and cheese, up until 5 years ago. Find a recipe, follow exactly what it says, and every time it will get easier ( and tastier). Practice makes perfect :)

So here is a site I love for healthy AMAZING ideas, recipes and tips. I get their magazine sent to my house every month, find something in it that looks like it would be a $20 dish in a restaurant, ace making it at home and than serve it to my man. I do NOT consider that cheating, btw ;)

Bon appetit!

http://www.eatingwell.com/

Homemade frozen yogurt

A few of you asked, so...

Recipe:
Mix 2 cups lowfat organic vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup whole milk or sub for lowfat, 1/4 cup sugar mix for 2 min.
add 12 oz bag pureed strawberries, mix for 40 seconds
& follow ur ice-cream maker instructions :)

Easy! Good luck:)