Archive for November, 2009

Once in a while, when my pot of Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup runs dry, I swing by Subway and pick up a 6" veggie sub. It's super-cheap, definitely low-cal and a pretty healthy option when you don't have time to cook at home.

Thanks to Jared and The Biggest Loser, I knew you could get some decent, fast, low-cal eats at Subway. What I didn't know was that Subway has raised more than $1 million dollars in support of Special Olympics Canada since 2005.

This year, Subway hopes to raise more than $300,000 for Special Olympics Canada and you can support this initiative by using the Subway Holiday Cash Card. The card is available at all Canadian Subway locations until December 31, 2009. Every time you load your Cash Card, Subway will donate $1 of all cash card sales to Special Olympics Canada.

And, of course, I have some Subway Holiday Cash Cards to give away. Five lucky winners will each WIN two cards - one to keep and one to give as a gift to someone you care about. Each card is loaded with $10, which goes surprisingly far at Subway.

For a chance to WIN, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about your favourite winter sport - what is it, why do you love it, and how long have you been enjoying it? You have until Tuesday, December 8 to enter. I'll announce the winner here on Wednesday, December 9.

In other news,  have you signed up for our free, six-week online Boot Camp yet? Sign up today and get ready to get fit starting January 4.

The weather is chilly, your calendar is filling up with holiday activities and you'd like nothing better than to curl up on the couch with a warm bowl of something delicious.

The slow cooker is a great solution at this time of year and you can use it to create healthy, low-cal, delicious meals.  Here are eight great Canadian Living 'Tested 'Till Perfect' slow cooker recipes and they're all under 300 calories. Snuggle up and enjoy!

1. Lemon Lentil Soup
2. Slow Cooker Squash and Chickpea Curry
3. Slow Cooker Smoked Turkey and Noodle Soup
4. Help-Yourself Apple Cinnamon Porridge
5. Lentil Vegetable Soup
6. Pork Roast in Onion Gravy
7. Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli
8. Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Chicken

Have you signed up for Boot Camp yet? Sign up today and get ready to get fit for free online starting January 4. I'll be giving away a swanky new slow cooker here on the Health & Wellness Club blog during Boot Camp, which runs from January 4 to February 14, so watch this space for your chance to WIN!

In my October 28 post, I asked you to tell me what you'd have if you could eat anything at all without regrets.

Congratulations to our winner, Toby, who has won a copy of The Shangri-La Diet: The No Hunger Eat Anything Weight-Loss Plan, by Seth Roberts, Ph.D.

Toby says:

"I would eat avocados day and night!! That is, if they weren't so expensive!! I was enjoying it to great lengths until a few people told me it's super fattening but with good fats...talk about a catch 22...anyways, I love it with salt and lime juice, and when there's no lime, lemon will do!"

Mmm, good call! Avocados are great - and nutritious, too! According to the folks at Avocados from Mexico (avocadofiesta.com):

• One-fifth (1 ounce) of a Hass avocado has 50 calories, 3 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 cholesterol and sodium, and 1 gram of dietary fiber. (Who knew a fruit that is so smooth and creamy provides dietary fiber that’s so important to a healthy digestive tract?)
• Avocados provide nearly 20 essential vitamins and minerals, including potassium, folic acid and other B vitamins, as well as vitamins E and K. They also contain phytonutrients, believed to help prevent many chronic diseases.
• Avocados act as a 'nutrient booster' by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein and vitamins A, D, K and E in foods that are eaten with avocados.
• Avocados are a good source of lutein, an antioxidant which has been shown to be concentrated in the macula of the eye. Research suggests that it may help maintain healthy eyesight as we age. An ounce of avocado contains 81 micrograms of lutein.

Hooray for the tasty, healthful avocado! Here are some great ways to use this super food:

• Avocado and Tomato Appetizer
• Cumin Flank Steak with Avocado Salad
• Black Bean Chili with Avocado Salsa
• Black Bean Avocado Salad
• Shrimp and Avocado Cocktail
• Avocado Chicken Salad
• Avocado Green Salad
• How to pit an avocado video

In my October 21 post, I asked you to tell me how you stay young for a chance to win a copy of the new book The Hormone Diet: Lose Fat. Gain Strength. Live Younger Longer by Dr. Natasha Turner, naturopathic doctor.

Congratulations to our winner Cecilyanne, who says:

"Feeling young is purely in one's mind. I look in the mirror every morning, and I still see the 20 year old I was 30 years ago. I accept my mirror image, which allows me the self-confidence to be, act and feel exactly that, young. Working at the local community college allows me plenty of contact with young people. I joke with them, encourage them, and in turn they smile, and look at me for who I am, not what age I may have on my driver's licence. Loving your life, loving your job, and enjoying all people, regardless of their age, is my key to youthfulness."

For more great ways to stay young, check out these fab articles:

• Photo gallery: Eat to be 10 years younger
• The best anti-aging tips for women
• Look and feel 10 years younger

Have you entered our October 27, October 28 and November 2 contests yet?

Canadian Living's free six-week Boot Camp health & fitness program starts on January 4. You can sign up now!

Yes! You could WIN one!

Maintaining an active social life keeps you feeling young. Staying connected with friends and family is an important way to keep active and healthy.

And these days, we have more ways to stay connected than ever before. Whether you're calling your friends and family, texting them, sending them a quick e-mail, connecting with them on Facebook or even following them on Twitter, there are a lot of ways to touch base with the people who matter most to you.

Who would you most like to reconnect with? Maybe it's a sibling you don't talk to as much as you'd like to. Maybe it's a high school friend you've lost touch with. Perhaps you'd like to be closer to your grown children. Or maybe you long to be reconnected with a long-lost love.

For a chance to WIN a Palm Pre™ smart phone, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about who you'd like to reconnect with and why. The Palm Pre™ is valued at $149.95 on a three-year contract or $599.95 without a contract with a minimum 500 MB data plan. You have until Monday, December 7 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Tuesday, December 8.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that these Palm Pre™ smart phones are super-fab. The Palm folks let me try one out and suddenly my husband and I were e-mailing each other constantly while he was out-of-town on business. Plus, I developed a closer bond with my sister-in-law, who's a rampant texter.

If I could reconnect with anyone, it would be my folks. Even though we talk on the phone almost daily, if I could get them using a smart phone like this, we could also text each other, e-mail each other more often and instantly exchange photos. What fun!