The Spa Diet

Disclaimer: this is amateur hour - I'm not a nutritionist, dietitian, trainer, etc. 
just a food blogger with time on her hands 

Although this isn't my health and food blog, and this is an idea that is still in the very beginning stages of development,  I have been taking mental notes for a while know on what I've come to think of as "The Spa Diet".

It's more a lifestyle than a diet, focusing on eating clean and exercising regularly - all with the mindset that you are treating yourself. 

When I think of a spa, I think of "me time" and everything being fresh and clean and relaxing while giving a sense of renewal and energy. In practical, everyday application, this would translate into eating healthy, fresh food, exercising everyday without feeling like you're dying, and pampering yourself in little ways. To take it one step further...

 imagine waking up in a clean bedroom with the morning light pouring in through the window. You make a big breakfast for yourself while Alexi Murdoch and Damien Rice plays in the background. Egg white omelette with all the fixings, whole wheat toast, steaming coffee or tea, fresh fruit...

...Get ready for the day, sip on a refreshing glass of water. Get things done, be productive. Make a healthy lunch - a big yummy salad, something full of energy before you go to the gym. Pack your gym bag, throw a clementine in there for an extra boost, load your favorite songs onto your ipod, run a couple miles, work your abs and your arms with those non-initimidating five-pound weights. Get home, shower, light your favorite candle, feel clean and refreshed, make yourself a smoothie....

and, of course, give yourself a little bit of time in your day to sit down and blog your heart out

It could go on and on... and honestly, that sounds like the life to me. 

O Tannenbaum

First real morning back at home, and my mother so cunningly lured me into a game of Five Crowns. If you're unfamiliar, it is the ultimate game of wits, nothing like any other card game you've played before.

as you can see, the added suit makes a world of difference

We won't talk about the outcome, because that's not important. What is important is that I managed to down three cups of black coffee and a water bottle before my doctor's appointment with a doctor that I had never been to before. Pretty sure that first impression went swimmingly; they made me wait, and wait, and wait, and when the doctor finally walked in to see me, I had to ask to ... you know... 2nd grade style, "Dr. Chan... may I go to the bathroooooom?"

Alright, so doctor's appointment over, and I am thankful. After that it was straight to the gym for a great 14.5 minute run (that I guess couldn't just have been done in my neighborhood) and a 2 minute abdominal session. I did  feel the burn. 

And after that it's just waiting around for the next day to come so I can enjoy some more coffee and eggs and toast and blog some more.

How do I kill time from morning to morning? By taking pictures of the Christmas tree. Thank goodness it gets dark at 5 o'clock - I got a good 6-hour photo shoot in. No, but really, thank goodness there is a Pinterest post floating around that tells me "How to Take Awesome Picture of your Christmas Tree". I don't think turning up the ISO and make the shutter speed slower would have ever come to mind. So thanks Pinterest. Saving my night once again.

And now it's morning again! So I made an egg on toast again! (But got a little cheeky and added avocado and shaved parmesan) 

Pumpkin-Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Every year I look forward to the official launch of fall: when Starbucks starts selling their pumpkin spice lattes. That's how everyone marks their calendars, right? My kitchen saw all things pumpkin this past November: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin butter, pumpkin simple syrup, and these bad boys (shown above). 

If you happen to have any leftover pumpkin puree (/if you are so lucky), I recommend whipping up a batch of these delicious pumpkin bars. They're just sweet enough with barely any added sugar and are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or a healthy snack to take to work or class. 

Yield 6 
2 cups rolled oats 
¾ cup pureed pumpkin 
½ cup apple sauce 
¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped 
1 tbsp honey 
3 tsp Stevia brown sugar blend or 
1 tbsp brown sugar 
1 tsp cinnamon 
½ tsp vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together pumpkin, apple sauce, honey, 2 tsp brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix together oats and cranberries. Pour wet ingredients over oats and mix thoroughly, making sure all oats are covered.
Line a 9x9 cake pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray (paper should be long enough to go up sides of pan to make it easier to life bars out). Spoon oats into cake pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining teaspoon of brown sugar blend on top.
Bake for 15 minutes. Lift out oats using sides of parchment paper and transfer to cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes and cut into 6 bars.