Parsnip Cashew Patties

Posted on by The Parsons

This is a family favourite recipe that I created when my children were tweens and I was trying to keep them interested in healthy food and helping in the kitchen! With a nice balance of macros and a decent amount of iron, they became a hit.

It stemmed from having too many parsnips in the fridge and no idea what to do with them!

Let’s get straight to it!

Ingredients:

  • 175 g quinoa (1 cup dry)
  • 345 g parsnip (one giant root veggie!)
  • 70 g cashews (1/2 cup)
  • 25 g flaxseeds (2Tbs)
  • 16 g tapioca starch (2Tbs)
  • 24 g chia seeds (2 Tbs)
  • 10 g nutritional yeast (2Tbs)
  • 1/2 Tbs garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cook up the quinoa per package instructions and in a separate pot, cook the parsnips for about 20 minutes, until they are really soft.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or Nutribullet, blend together the nuts, seeds and spices.

Drain the parsnips and mash them really well, stir in the quinoa until really well combined, then slowly stir in the ground dry mix.

The mixture will get really sticky!!

Scoop out 1/3 cup portions (90 grams) and shape into patties (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND KEEPIGN YOUR HANDS DAMP WITH CLEAN WATER SO IT DOESN’T STICK AND MAKE A MESS)

Cook on medium-high heat on an ungreased, non-stick frying pan (I *love* my copper pan for this, for about 5 minutes per side.

Voila! Makes 12! I double this recipe and freeze the extras on a cookie sheet before storing them with parchment paper between patties in a container.

I serve them with salad or steamed veggies. They are great with a little sauce of preference, ranch, mustard, and ketchup are popular among my family.

This recipe is adaptable to substitutions!

No parsnips? Carrot, squash, sweet potatoes all work.

No chia? Hemp hearts or more flax!

No cashews? Sunflower seeds!

Change up the spices! We don’t add salt to our cooking as my partner is managing blood pressure wih diet and exercise. But you can try adding salt and pepper, skip the curry and italian seasoning or chili powder if you are using a less sweet veggie! Or add powdered boullion seasoning!

Nutritional information for recipe as written:

<a href="http://“>http://<a href=”https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076&#8243; target=”_blank”><img width=”320″ height=”630.476″ src=”https://www.verywellfit.com/thmb/CiSP463r4eTKvLvZbcfuEfZLyrk=/1000×0/Nutrition-Label-Embed–238255328-1897968b1379494b8db91678a97a9278.png&#8221; /></a>

Enjoy! Let me know what combinations you try!

Food journal database updating

Posted on by The Parsons

An important part of taking care of yourself is proper nutrition.  Whether you are trying to lose weight, build muscle, reduce your cholesterol or lower your blood pressure, or just have enough energy to keep up with he kids.

I have always struggled with tracking my food. But, if I want to know that I am fueling my body with what it needs to build some fabulous little muscles, I need to keep track.

Through October, I did a test run of tracking every single thing I ate or drank. It was tedious. It was time consuming. And it made a difference!!

Since I have decided to commit myself to being the best me possible, I can no longer use the excuse of *it is just too hard* or *I’m too busy*. I am my fulltime job. My job, above all else, is to take care of myself. And that includes being aware of what exactly I am putting into my body for fuel.

I have used several different apps for tracking food. MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, Argus, 1st Phorm. All of them are fairly similar and equally useful. And all of them have shortcomings. Often, foods that I buy (vegan foods. In Canada) are not in their database and I have to look through the options for something similar or program in a new food. Both of these are things that I considered time consuming.

Today, I went through the kitchen and scanned every single food that I commonly eat, to see if it was in the database of foods for Fitbit. I found over 20 items that I regularly consume were not in the database.

So I took action! I prepared for success!

I took every item that wasn’t in the Fitbit scanning database, and created a *custom food* for it in my database so I don’t have to do it while in the middle of super preparation or when I’m too tired and end up forgetting.

I know there will be more, but if I build the habit of checking to see if they already exist in the database when I am unloading the groceries, I can be proactive and add them immediately.

I want to build the best version of myself. That means fueling my body for success. And in order to make sure I am doing that properly, I spent a little over an hour today scanning and creating food entries in Fitbit.

Such a small thing. With big rewards.

Body measurements preparation

Posted on by The Parsons

I like graphs and charts. I like progress pictures. I like seeing progression and change! Even little tiny stuff!

I also have big goals for changing my body composition this coming year, as I work towards building more muscle and leaning down the excess fat still stored on my frame.

To that end, I spent a couple of hours preparing up my weight charts and making a quarterly check in sheet for body measurements!

Yes, I weigh myself every morning. It is just part of my habit, along with a progress photo and brushing my teeth. I am far from obsessed with the number, because the fluctuations are just the ebb and flow of the week. My main goal for the last year and a half was an eventual net loss, which I slowly accomplished!

My quarterly measurements will include bone mass and body fat, blood pressure and resting heart rate, as well as physical measurements. Is there anything else you find helpful to check in on fairly regularly?

I also ordered a Fitindex scale! With 35,000 ratings and an average of 4.6 stars, I feel comfortable with my first body fat scale purchase! It was not the cheapest or the fanciest, but it was definitely the highest rated for function and accuracy! I am rather excited for this new tool, because the number on the scale for entire body mass is not nearly as important as the composition of that mass!

Next up, will be preparing the fitness assessments! What do you check regularly to see how much progress you are making with your fitness?

Chickpea Veggie Burger

Posted on by The Parsons

I love making up burgers in advance and freezing them so I have lots of options in the freezer for fast meals.

I’m going to keep the writing bits short because you really only want the recipe anyway!

Ingredients :

  • 300 g cooked chickpeas
  • 227g sweet potato, cooked
  • 65g spinach, chipped
  • 45g tomato paste
  • 2 Tbs water
  • 1/2 Tbs water
  • 1 tsp stevia
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 15g flaxmeal
  • 20g cornmeal

I used dry chickpeas and cook them ahead. If you use canned chickpeas, rinse them really well or use salt free.

Heat the chickpeas in the microwave for two minutes to soften them. Mash the chickpeas and sweet potatoes, spinach, the tomato paste, water and spices together until really nicely mashed.

Stir in the cornmeal and flaxmeal.

Scooping 1/3 cup (90g of mixture), shape into 8 patties and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes, flip after 15 if you want both sides to be the same colour(I don’t bother, and they still turn out tasty!)

They hold shape wonderfully. They freeze great. They also shape into balls or nuggets wonderfully. They are a huge hit among our whole family!

<a href=”http://“>Nutritional Information

Introduction

Posted on by The Parsons

My name is Fyre!

Currently I am 45 years old and on the most incredible journey.

I returned home from a fabulous cruise with my husband days after my 44th birthday in April of 2019. I spent my birthday on an island in the Bahamas.

What glorious activities did I do as we travelled to Mexico and the Bahamas and spent days on a huge floating adventure? Mostly, I ate, watched a couple of plays and movies. I took a salsa class. Walked on a beach and strolled, slowly along.

What did I WANT to do? Kayaking, spelunking, cave diving, snorkeling, swimming, and adventure seeking.

Why was there such a difference between what I wanted to do and what I actually did?
I was over 100 pounds overweight. I couldn’t walk far without pain in my knees, hips, and back. I got out of breath and had very little energy.

I saw the pictures from the cruise. I stepped on the scale. I accepted that I could no longer deny it, and I took life by the scruff of the neck and took charge of my health.
I started eating healthier. I started walking. I increased my walks. I became vegan. I learned to run again. I started working out. I hiked. A lot. I swam in the ocean. I bought a bike. I started yoga. I tried kayaking. I learned about nutrition.

And it WORKED. I showed up for myself, I had fun, and on December 14th, I reached the 100 pounds lost marker! I am still overweight, but I have realized that I am capable of ANYTHING now!

I found myself. I remembered who I was in my youth before I gained all of the weight. I remembered that I LOVE moving my body and doing hard things.

I have been tracking my journey on Instagram since July of 2019. I love the platform. But this year, I am taking it up a notch, I am no longer focusing on losing weight (even though that will continue to happen for a while) but on getting STRONGER! I am competitive by nature, I love a challenge and I will put myself in for the whole thing. So I am planning on using a blog to journal my way through my strength and endurance building! To hold me accountable, to share my story, to inspire others, and to write down my recipes so that I don’t lose them anymore lol.

Follow me! Join me! Challenge me! Share with me!
I can’t wait to see you grow with me!