Know Better Life

Calling all non-confident chefs!!! 👩‍🍳

You, too, can learn to cook and bake really delicious and healthy food!!!

If I can, YOU CAN. Seriously!

When JP met me I told him “I don’t bake”. It’s funny the stories we tell ourselves as truths. 🫣
What I should have said is “I am not very confident in the kitchen. I like to eat healthy but I only have a basic skill set for simple, healthy food. Baking not included (yet).”

He was a confident cook, and taught me a few tools and techniques, and encouraged me to give it a go. When I committed to 4 Week Gut Protocol, I wanted to feel like it was a sustainable way to eat and enjoy treats, so I tried many new recipes… all of which I loved!!

Long story long… I actually almost love to cook and bake now! I love knowing the ingredients that I’m using are healthy and that my family can enjoy real home cooked food. I still steer clear of recipes that require very accurate measurements, as I like to “wing” it a little. All recipes I share here are forgiving! Like this one…

LENTIL SHEPERD’S PIE
* filled with protein & fibre!

The inside is:
Onion,
garlic,
carrot,
peas,
corn,
lentils,
veggie boullion cube (or I made a small amount of stock with organic ),
tomato paste,
diced tomatoes,
tamari,
Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, thyme)
Sea salt & pepper

The potato topping is:
Mashed potatoes,
butter (I used vegan ),
Sea salt & pepper,
garlic powder (optional)

Steps:
Cook the insides in a big frying pan.
Cook the potatoes in a big pot of boiling water then mash & add extras.
Add insides to a baking dish, and flatten out.
Add the mashed potato topping. (JP swears by using a fork to drag it out so that there are small pieces to get crispy).
Bake at 350 for 15-20min.
Finish with Broil for 2-4min — don’t let it burn!

Serve and enjoy!!!

Are you going to try this?

Today, I went out for a run/walk with my daughter for the first time since last summer. I told her “we’ll just go for 10 minutes” and she agreed. I let her choose our intervals, either by time or by block. She chose by block, and we ran 1 block then power walked 1 block. We chose a destination, and departed.

The first 10 minutes were AGONY. 😖 She complained non-stop and had the worst attitude. She got a cramp and I told her that it was because she was so stressed and so negative that her body was tense (and her diaphragm which cramped). Maybe not a stellar parenting moment, but I wanted to scream… I didn’t because I know this is part of the process.

Starting again is HARD. You want to quit. It’s stressful, it hurts. You find every excuse to not continue. This is what she was experiencing.

So, I suggested that we sing Taylor Swift songs. She chose the first one and started singing, and I joined along. That block went by so fast! 💨 Then we chose another song and another. The complaining stopped while the running/walking/singing continued.

We got home and I stopped my watch and showed her… 22 minutes total!!! She looked surprised and said “Wow!” then said “I’m so glad I did that”. 🤣😳🙌🏽😭🎉

You experience pride and joy when you make it through hard s**t because you prove to yourself that you can do really hard things. And usually, it feels really frickin good afterwards.

So, that’s our lesson for today, and I wanted to share it with you because it’s the same for every human on this planet. Starting something again or something new is HARD. That’s a fact. You’ll likely suck and it’ll hurt. But, if you persevere, distract yourself, and keep going, you’ll get better, it’ll feel easier and you’ll feel really damn proud of yourself!!!

Tomorrow, KBL CLUB kicks off the 3-2-1-1 GET SET FOR SEPTEMBER CHALLENGE!!! It’s about establishing healthy habits so that your transition into the Fall is easier. The first week is going to feel hard. That’s a fact. But it will get easier, and by the time September comes around it won’t feel as hard.
If you want to join this challenge, comment IN below or send me a DM for details.

Let’s grow! 🙌🏽

Just because it’s summer, doesn’t mean you need to eat food that doesn’t fuel you well or make you feel well.

This summer, we’ve been mostly fuelling on fresh fruit & veg, charcuterie-style plates, and BBQ meat. No matter where we go — the lake, the beach, the mountains, the amusement park, on a hike, on a bike ride, to the pool — we either fuel up with fresh food before our outings or bring our nutrient-filled foods with us. Plus lots of water — so much water! 💦

Swipe to see real life photos of our food this summer.

Photo 1 & 2 feature the plate that my 9 year old made this afternoon. She declared, “Mom, I’m hungry, I’m going to make myself a snack plate. Just wait til you see it!” and this is what she made. 😊

I am teaching my kids that we need to put good quality fuel into our bodies so that they run well and we have lots of energy to do the things we love to do, just like we need to fill up our cars with (very expensive) gas. ⛽️

And yes, we have enjoyed so much vegan ice cream 🍦 and many fruit popsicles too!!!

What’s your fuel philosophy for your family?
I know this is a hot topic, and there is never any judgment here!

Sharing what works for us because our priority is to feel good, and have lots of sustained energy for activity. If the way you fuel works for you, then great! And, if this makes you stop to think “maybe it’s not serving me”, you can make a change today.

Would love to know your thoughts, always. 💕

These gals always inspire me to eat well too:allanapolo

Happy Earth Day! 🌍
Shop clean + conscious brands to do your part. ♻️

Capturing all of the good memories here, so when I’m asked to run this race again next year, I’ve got proof that it was a great time! The memories of the gruelling hills and heat will have faded by then. 🤣

you put on a great race with stunning views and the best cheer squad along the way! 🔔

thank you for inviting me to be a part of this crew! 🌈

let’s run again soon! 🏃‍♀️ 🏃🏻‍♀️