Another popular recipe in our household is Three Bean Salad, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

- 1 Can of Red Kidney Beans (Drained & Rinsed)

- I Can of Chick Peas (Drained & Rinsed)

- I Can of Green Beans (Drained)

- 1/2 Cup of diced Vidalia Onion

- 1/3 Cup of diced Roasted Red Peppers

Mix the above ingredients together in a large bowl.

Vinaigrette

1/3 cup presidents choice mediterranian vinaigrette

3 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

juice of 1/2 lemon

pepper to taste

handful of parsley chopped

Mix vinaigrette ingredients together and pour over bean mixture. Toss to coat . Let chill for four hours and serve.

This is a very healthy recipe and a great source of protein, fibre, iron, calcium & most important - GAS!

Here is a healthy recipe which is very kid and adult friendly.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 lbs of Talapia

- 1 can (19 oz.) black beans (rinsed & drained)

- 1 cup frozen corn

- 2 cups salsa

- 1 cup shredded four cheese blend cheese (use light if available)

Instructions

In a 9'' by 13" pan, mix the beans, corn and salsa. Place Talapia on top of the mixture. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of cumin and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees faherenheit until fish is opaque and mixture is bubbly (approximately 30 minutes). Do not overcook, as Talapia will dry out quickly. Broil if desired to brown cheese (Approximately 5 minutes). Serve with side salad.

Have you ever noticed that the only restaurants you can find when you are hungry are fast food restaurants? This happens to me almost every day due to my work schedule . Even though McDonalds and Tim Hortons are the only 'restaurants' you can find in a timely manner, these havens for everything 'fat' do offer some surprisingly healthy alternatives. My favourite 'go-to' when I am on the highway is the Chicken Fajita from McDonalds. They come in a package of two fajitas, and combine to provide 400 Calories, 5 Grams of Fat, and 30 mg of Cholesterol. I usually pair this with a bottle of water.

Many fast food restaurants now offer various salad selections (McDonalds, Wendys etc.), but many of them come with toppings which can erase any of the healthy benefit of eating these foods. The biggest problem when eating on the road, and in a hurried fashion, is avoiding the temptation for the old 'Standbys'. This means choosing the Big Mac instead of the Fajita, the Big Bacon Classic instead of the Salad, or Fries insread of the yogurt. Normally, the healthy selections are listed in an obscure place on the menu boards, probably due to the fact that they make less money on these items, nevertheless, it makes it difficult for the average person to avoid the temptation of the bad foods.

Here is a challenge for all of you, for the next three months make a concerted effort to choose the healthiest selections on the menu of each and every restaurant you visit. Your body will thank you for it and your will become a Healthierversion of the 'Big Mac' eating person you once were.

Here a a recipe which is a healthier version of regular tacos - TilapiaTacos. Our kid's love these, and they are simple to make. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients - Tacos:

• 1 1/2 ibs of Tilapia Fillets
• Taco Seasoning (as desired)
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions - Tacos:

Place Tilapia fillets on baking sheet, sprinkle with taco seasoning, and then drizzle with olive oil. Cook at 400 Degrees Celsius for 15 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from oven and break fish up with fork. Place fish in taco shells and top with your favourite ingredients or the salsa recipe below. Please note that you can subsitute taco seasoning with 1 tbsp. of cumin, 1/2 tbsp. of corriander, 1/2 tbsp. of cilantro and a pinch of pepper. This way you can control your salt intake.

Ingredients - Salsa:

• 1 Avacado diced
• 1/4 cup diced Red Onion
• 1 ripe Mango - diced
• 1/2 Lemon

Mix the above ingredients together, and use as topping for your tacos.

Enjoy!

Leanne

For most of us exercise is a necessary evil to maintain our weight and stress levels. It does many great things for us including keeping our blood pressure down and our lung capacity up. The million dollar question is why do we dread it so much? Could it be that we have been brainwashed to assume that physical exertion is difficult and shouild only be done by professional athletes?

What if we thought of exercise in a much different way? What if we collectively thought of exercise like we think of one of the basic human needs - food? If we could trick our brains to think that we cannot survive without exercise, this could potentially solve the global obesity crisis. Every weekend I see legions of people jog by my house, much like herds of horses. My general feeling is that the main reason most of them are running in this group is to multiply the guilt factor of not participating. Instead of relying on guilt, drill sargeants and stimulants, we can make huge progress as a human race if we change our thought process regarding exercise by lumping it in with the rest of the basic human needs like Food, Sleep, and Warmth. If our brains can be tricked to think that we cannot bear to go a day without some form a physical exertion, think of the benefits for the environment, healthcare, stress levels, etc....

Starting today, one of the main focuses of Healthierversion, is to examine new ways of turning exercise into a basic human need for my family. To do so, I will be examining different mental techniques used be other with successful results, in order to find the techniques which work best for us - and hopefully you. I have started a regular exercise regime which includes at least 45 minutes per day on the Elliptical Machine as well as push-ups and crunches. My short-term goal is to exercise for 60 days straight using  various forms of exercise (including walking). I will keep you up to date on my progress, and hopefully many of you will keep me up to date on your progress.

Please email your comments.

An ongoing theme for Healthierversion, Greenerversion and Cheaperversion is our habits and their impact on our wallets, our economy, our bodies and our earth. Since this website is devoted to making Healthier choices in our daily lives, I thought I would take this opportunity to focus on a strategy I have used to change the negative health habits I have acquired over the years. Using a fifteen day personal challenge is a great way to introduce positive habits to our lives as well as determine if these new habits will fit our new and better lives. In order to give you a kick start in the right direction, here are suggestions you can use for your own 15 Day Challenge:

Walk Don’t Drive – Using your feet instead of your car is a great way to burn calories as well as save fuel and the environment. If you can’t commit to using your feet (or your bike) for the entire time during this challenge, try to walk or bike whenever it is not required for work. It may be easier during the summer months rather than the winter months, you choose. Here is what you can gain/lose over 15 days if you decide to walk instead of drive:

·         Assuming 30 minutes of walking per day – you can burn at least 1600 calories during a fifteen days period. Assuming the same caloric intake, this could amount to ½ pound of fat loss. This is like a snowball of positives – the walking will reduce your weight, reduce your stress, improve your cardiovascular health and decrease your chances of serious illness.

·         Reduction in emissions –walking instead of driving will reduce your carbon and GHG emissions. Also, this will set a good example for your neighbours and kids

·         Save Fuel – Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is a win-win. Walking instead of driving will keep more disposable income in our banks. Also, by gradually decreasing our dependence on the automobile it will force Big Oil to look at alternative sources of income, which may be Solar Power Generation, Wind Power etc. Again, always remember the consumer dictates everything.

Cut the Caffeine – This will be quite difficult for hard-core coffee drinkers, but the benefits out weight the negatives. There are many side effects of caffeine consumption, including insomnia, anxiety, irritability, calcium deficiency and potentially serious things such as heart palpitations. I have now been caffeine-free since January 1^st , and I can tell you it is not easy – and I was only a one cup a day coffee drinker. For the first week expect to have some moderate to severe headaches as well as obvious drowsiness in the morning. After fifteen days you will be past the withdrawal symptoms, and you will be able to replace this morning habit with a healthier habit – like exercise. For those of you(who like me) would put two teaspoons of sugar a cream in your coffee, the reduction in empty calorie consumption can also be significant.

Cut The Red Meat – I am not a vegetarian, but have read enough about red meat to identify the negative effects that it can have when over-consumed. Normally I eat red meat once every two weeks, but have gone as many as thirty days without eating red meat. Due to the wide selection of healthy recipes and alternatives, it is not difficult to survive without consuming red meat (it doesn’t hurt that my wife is an amazing cook). I will promise you that after fifteen days, you will feel much healthier and also begin to wonder the reason why you needed red meat in the first place.

Water not Juice – Since December 1^st, I have not consumed any juice or pop (soda for our American readers). This has not proven to be difficult for me, but it may prove difficult for those of you who are used to drinking large amounts of caffeinated soda everyday, you won’t be simply changing your drinking habits, you will be dealing with caffeine withdrawal which compounds the effort required. But simply replacing one glass of concentrated orange juice as well as one can of cola with two glasses of water per day will result in a reduction of potentially 2000 calories in 15 days and 48,000 calories in a year if you chose to continue. Trust me you will feel better.

Eliminate Alcohol – I will be the first one to admit that I will never be able to totally eliminate alcohol from my diet. I am not an alcoholic by any means but I really enjoy red wine and beer in moderation (usually on Friday or Saturday nights). But I have done this 15 day challenge a number of times, essentially to prove that I can.

Chose Lower Fat Versions – Almost all food products have lower fat versions available, these healthier versions take about two seconds to get used to. After 15 days, the lower fat version will be your primary chose. The benefits of choosing these products will keep your body and mind focused on the long term not on short term gratification.

Laugh Everyday – In order to get your laugh quota, you need to have something to laugh about. Because of the internet, there are endless ways to get your laugh on. One of my favourite places to find a laugh is www.funnyordie.com, a creation of Will Ferrell and some friends of his. This website features ‘amateur’ video skits done by Ferrell or anybody with a camera. Try to laugh for fifteen minutes every day for fifteen days, this will become as addictive as coffee but will be much healthier for you. In addition, it will help to reduce your stress levels and blood pressure.

Say No To Eating Out – Many of us eat out at restaurants more than we eat at our homes. This is a very dangerous game due to the fat, preservatives and chemicals used in today’s convenience foods. This challenge is easier said than done, this means no take-out pizza or a sit down meal at your local restaurant. Take this opportunity to eat home cooked meals that you haven’t tried before. As a side note to this challenge, we are starting to witness some change in the typical fast food industry (which I applaud), companies such as McDonalds have started to build a substantial healthy menu. In our city (London, Ontario), a new fast food restaurant has been launched called ‘Ozone Oragnics’ www.ozoneorganics.com which serves only organic meals in a quick fashion but utilizes healthier cooking mediums.

Wake Up Early, Go To Bed Early – For fifteen days, try waking up a 6:00 AM. By having this extra time in the morning, it will allow you to do more before work, such as: Exercise, Housekeeping, Reading, Writing, Study, Prepare Healthier Meals etc. Having this time will improve your health and reduce your stress levels. On the other side of the day, try to get to bed by 10:00 PM each night to ensure you get adequate amounts of sleep.

These are just a couple of a hundreds of possible healthy challenges you can try. If you have any suggestions for your fellow Healthy Bastards, be sure to leave a comment or email me.

Healthierversion is going to change our lives (by 'ours’, I mean you and me). We will begin to start new habits that will entirely change the way we look and feel. These changes will at some times be frustrating, but we will jointly trudge through and become a Healthierversion of what we once were.

We will stop looking at those scales in the morning, posing nude in front of the mirror (and you thought no one was watching), and worrying how our clothes fit (this may be difficult for some of you). Instead we will focus on how we feel at all times and the overall health of our bodies.