Balanced Living

The Economy of a Chicken

Posted by Arja on September 10 in Main Dishes

There’s no doubt about it.  Cooking with fresh food takes a little more time than packaged, convenience foods.  If you’re trying to reinvent the wheel with each meal, then you’re probably spending more time in your kitchen then you really want to be.  If you plan ahead, and by this I mean with menu planning and shopping lists, you can cook in larger batches and take elements from a meal made earlier in the week and use them in meals later on.  My dear friend, Dawn Nita, is a trained chef and today we’re lucky enough to have her share a post about how she does this in her own home.

Beets & Fennel You Say?

Posted by Arja on September 3 in Salads

It’s been a hot summer, and if you’re anything like me you’re running out of creative ways to eat cold food.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a good salad, but after a while, trying to find ways to create interesting things out of leafy greens and raw/cooked vegetables gets a little tiresome.  Also, since we’re now entering the late stages of summer and encroaching on fall we are starting to see more root vegetables and squashes making their way into farmers’ markets and grocery stores.  If you’re not ready to start roasting things in your oven yet, then this fabulous take on salad may just be the answer.

Another Granola Recipe

Posted by Arja on August 15 in Breakfast, Snacks

Although it is often chock full of really healthy ingredients, granola has received a bad reputation for being a high fat, high sugar food choice.  People who are trying to lose weight often avoid it like the plague, fearing the caloric hit their daily intake will take.  To add insult to injury, store-bought granola, especially those brands that use high quality ingredients, tends to cost a small fortunte!  The truth is, granola can be relatively inexpensive and very good for you but it all depends on the ingredients, and how much you use.

Healthy Gut, Healthy Body

Posted by Arja on August 9 in Nutrition

A healthy digestive system is the foundation of good health.  It helps you to digest food and absorb nutrients, eliminates toxins, acts as a line of defence for your immune system, and even produces some vitamins.  When things go wrong, you experience gas, bloating, diarrhea, and even constipation.  Maintaining the health of your digestive system is vitally important, and when things get out of balance using a probiotic may be the best thing that you can do to help the good bacteria take back control.

Get Out of Your Salad Rut!

Posted by Arja on July 23 in Salads

It’s hot as stink out there and while salads are the natural choice when choosing foods that beat the heat, they can get a little boring if you’re not careful.  A healthy dinner salad doesn’t have to be limited to fresh greens, grilled meat or fish, and traditional salad fixings like cucumber and tomatoes.  It’s time to get creative and take your dinner salads to a whole new level.