Loulou's views

We all lead busy lives—from juggling work to extra-curricular activities, sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in a day to get it all done. Trying to find the perfect balance can be challenging, but one thing remains constant in my household: connecting around the dinner table. Coming from a Greek family, dinnertime was always a priority, no matter how busy our days were, and this is a tradition we’ve kept with our children. Now that our boys are older (13 and 10 years old) my husband and I often get them to help out when it comes to dinner preparation, and even cooking; I’m happy to say that my even my youngest son can make a delicious homemade tomato sauce, with some ingredients coming from our own backyard vegetable garden, like basil, tomatoes, oregano, and onions.   Growing a garden was a new venture for us this summer, and one we thoroughly enjoyed. It made meal time prep more fun, and also forced us all to eat more vegetables than we were used to.  ...

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Now that the new year has started, it's time to get serious about sticking to those resolutions. This year, it's all about eating right, getting your beauty sleep, working out, and taking care of your skin. Here are some tips on how you can be your best self in 2018: Eat Right We all want to eat healthy. I know no one is counting calories in December, but now that January is here, it's time to get back to eating smart. As someone who is always on the go with two busy kids, this is an area I struggle with. Working downtown can make choosing a healthy lunch difficult, but luckily I work close to  Mad Radish. This Ottawa-based restaurant has great plant-based options to make healthy eating simple, delicious, and nutritious. My favourite is their Smoky Caesar salad–with a twist. This salad includes romaine and kale, garlic-marinated chickpeas, and broccoli. Instead of parmesan cheese, it's topped with ...

We all lead busy lives, and sometimes, meal planning can be a bothersome chore, especially if you're someone like me—a person who doesn't love spending countless hours in the kitchen preparing dinner. Yet, we all need to eat, so what's the perfect solution? Thankfully I have Greek parents and in-laws who cook and drop off dinner for my family. (This is one reason I don't cook enough—or at least that's my excuse). However, this is not every day, so what's the other solution? SupperWorks . My friends have been raving about SupperWorks for a long time, and I was finally given the opportunity to attend an Ottawa bloggers night to put SupperWorks to the test. It was a fun night with a great group of bloggers, as we all put together yummy meals to take home to our families, wine and appetizers in hand. I left with six servings of Beautiful Baja Fish Wraps, six servings of Glowing Goddess Quinoa Veggie Wraps, and a 4-Cheese and Garlic Crusted Chicken Breast for ...

Spring is finally (finally!) in the air. This means it's time to start spring cleaning to make room in your closet for all the new pieces you have to buy this season. Along with spring cleaning your closet comes spring cleaning your mind and body, too—by eating healthier, and working out several time a week. I love incorporating a number of different activities to stay fit, but what I love most of all is taking classes at The Dailey Method . I began working out at The Dailey Method last summer when I was invited to take part in the #DoItDailey30 challenge as a blog ambassador. Once I got through my first class, I was in love. It was more of a workout than I expected, and after the 30 day challenge I not only felt better, I looked better, too. It was so motivating and a lot of fun. The Dailey Method, in case you're not familiar, is a group fitness class that helps you increase muscle length, strength, tone, and balance, while improving your cardio strength, post...

Now that spring is almost here (we'll get through this last snowstorm, I promise!) it's time to start planning ahead to warmer days. There is so much to look forward to, like spending countless hours outside with friends and family. Remember those days? Hot, summer days that turn into nights, endless laughter, kids splashing in the pool, and adults enjoying cold beverages and delicious food... it's all coming back—and I'm so excited, because we've had a long winter. When it comes to preparing a big bash with the extended family, Catelli Pasta has some great ideas for making your next reunion a special one. Not only is Catelli helping families across the country come together in a special way, with incredible recipe ideas that'll make the preparations even easier, they are also running a contest as a thank-you to celebrate their 150th birthday. (How timely, as it's Canada's 150th birthday as well!). The Canada-wide  Catelli Family Reunion Contest ...

The holiday season was a wonderful time spent with family and friends, and overindulging on delicious foods and baked goods. Now that the holidays are over, and with routine finally back in our lives,  it's time to start eating healthy again. And thank goodness for that, because with an upcoming trip to Miami, there's no better time than now to get back to eating healthy, well-balanced meals. As much as I love getting back into my normal routine, I don't love meal planning (thinking of something different for my family to eat every day can be challenging) or the prep work in the kitchen. I recently had the chance to experience HelloFresh Canada , and my entire family loved it. HelloFresh Canada now delivers healthy, delicious, and convenient meal kits to your front door, so all the hard work—thinking of what you want to make for dinner, and then shopping for the right ingredients—is already taken care of for you. HelloFresh Canada takes care of meal planning, shopp...

Can you believe there is only one week left until Christmas? Yes, the holiday season is upon us, and if you're anything like me, you've been especially busy this month. So busy, you glance at the calendar in disbelief at how quickly the days are going by and a little frightened with all you have left to do before the end of the month... and year. During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it's easy to forget eating well and maintaining a healthy diet, with all the parties and cookies and festive beverages tempting you. Once you get in the habit of eating well, though (habits usually take 21 days to become a daily routine) it's easier to keep to your routine of eating well, despite the temptations around you. If you're looking to start your day off right, and improve your overall healthy, you should consider taking psyllium fibre. Sounds scary? It's not. It's just a naturally sourced dietary fibre found in Metamucil powder, and it has a long his...

The timing of this post is pretty ironic, considering I'm talking about tips for staying healthy this holiday season while battling a cold. It's the time of year that mostly everyone gets sick, but there are things we can do now to help us stay healthy for the rest of the holiday season. It is inevitable that when children come home from school with a cold or flu, it'll get passed on to the parents, so it's even more important that we take preventative steps to stay germ-free. We're in the midst of the holiday season, and my calendar is packing up with parties. I'm so excited—but I definitely don't want to miss out on any of the festivities because of a cold. Let's keep the kisses under the mistletoe peppermint-sweet and germ-free, okay? There are three easy tips to help protect yourself and your family this fall: eat well, wash your hands frequently, and get the flu shot. Eat Well It's important to keep your body fueled with nut...

The school year is in full swing, and we're already nearing the end of October. There is so much to look forward to now that it's fall, except for colder weather and "germ" season. That's right... it seems like as soon as the kids are back to school, they get sick with a cold or the flu. And of course, cold and flu prevention is important year-round, but it's even more important to make healthy choices and take preventative measures to protect yourself and your family in preparation for the "Fall Spike"— the increase in sickness, which ranges from colds to severe asthma flare-ups, that's associated with children going to back school and the upcoming flu season. I'm thrilled to be working with Loblaw as part of the  #LoblawFluCrew to spread the important message (not germs!) on how we can keep our families healthy this season. Studies show that school children bring germs home from school and spread them to us lucky parents and ev...

Now that we've settled back into the fall routine, it's important to take note of what we're eating as we move away from the carefree days of summer. I know I'm definitely more pressed for time now that I'm working a full-time schedule again, and with my boys in school, I want to make sure each meal is as healthy as it can be—so we're getting the proper nutrition we need, and the energy to keep us going all day. I go grocery shopping several times a week, but I've never considered using the support of an in-store Registered Dietitian at Loblaw. This great (and did I mention free?) service provides shoppers a range of services, like: Grocery shopping tours to make healthier choices (You'd be surprised what you'll learn!) Health and wellness workshops and lunch and learns  Developing a customized meal plan based on your dietary needs  Interactive cooking classes  Tips for encouraging children to try new foods  Nutrition check-ups to assess dieta...

As summer comes to an end, (how did that happen?) I'm doing everything I can to enjoy the last moments before we get back into the fall routine. There is so much left to enjoy, especially spending time outside, with family and friends—swimming, BBQ-ing, and just soaking up the sun as much as we can. An important part of my day-to-day life is gathering my family together for meal times, and in the summer, we kick back, relax, and enjoy eating fresh foods with each meal, outside. (It's just so simple to eat health during the summer months, isn't it?) I love that Loblaws provides a great variety of fresh, local ingredients, especially during summertime. In fact, 40% of produce sold in Loblaws stores is sourced by Canadian growers during this peak season, and Loblaws is also the largest purchaser of locally grown food in the country. Loblaws recently teamed up the vegan YamChops butcher to create unique and tasty, seasonally inspired recipes perfect for summer dining and...

Every year, I talk about making resolutions and sometimes, I don't follow through. Pretty common, right? However, this year—2016—I made realistic resolutions about taking better care of myself, starting from within. That means spending more time actually working out and being active, and not just talking about it. This means using my gym membership more than I did a year ago, and it means getting out and having fun with my children. There's nothing like having fun while staying active, like taking bike rides with the family, playing soccer, swimming, or skiing. I'm also eating better. It's amazing how even minor changes make me feel good right away; sure, I have cheat days where I indulge in dessert or chips, because you have to enjoy everything, in moderation; but overall, eating better makes me feel better, and sets a good example for my children. I'm taking daily vitamins, too. My favourite vitamins are  Nature's Bounty , especially Nature's Bounty ...

As a child, I didn't worry very much about my appearance, what I weighed, or what I ate. Life was carefree and easy. The word "diet" wasn't part of my vocabulary until I turned 16, and looking back, I wish I hadn't started worrying about dieting at such a young age. (Especially because there was no reason to worry about losing weight—I was healthy, active, and ate well.) Growing up today is a totally different world than the one I grew up in. Our children are now constantly being exposed to unhealthy messages and images online, on television, and in print. These messages revolve around how young people can lose weight to attain the "perfect" body. These unhealthy body messages affect both boys and girls, and sadly, these messages are everywhere you look—and in the faces of children younger than 16 years old. Multi-Grain Cheerios has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the unhealthy body image messages disguised as harmless entertainment that...

October is here and the carefree days of summer are behind us. Our calendar is packed, from birthday parties to extra-curricular activities like swimming and tennis. We've set up a homework station at home, organized the bedrooms so the children always know where to find the things they need, and embraced the change in routine. I've said good-bye to summer dresses and I've even given up on flip flops. There is some sadness associated with fall, but... fall is also a beautiful, busy time—from wagon rides at the pumpkin patch to Thanksgiving and Halloween. Our house is bustling with energy from the moment we wake up and once the boys are off to school, I  start working, and start thinking about what to prepare for dinner. With such busy schedules, what I feed my family is really important to me, and I try my best to make sure my children are eating food they love that's healthy for them. Mornings are rushed, for most of us. In fact, nearly 70% of Canadian parents surv...