I will spare you the specifics but let’s just say that my September has been stressful with a capital S. And after just seven days of subsequent sleep deprivation, it sunk in how salient sleep is to recovery. In just one week of sub-par sleep, I injured myself doing the same run I’d done without incident only 7 days prior.
So the capital S in September stands not only for Stress and Sub-par Sleep, but also for Seriously piSSed off and Square one. As in, I’m back at square one rehabbing the same hamstring tendon injury I had at the same time last year, which took nearly Six months of Strenuous Strength Sessions (yes, all with a capital S) to set right.
But I’ll stop venting now and segue to the meat of this month’s post. Namely that S also stands for Salisbury Steak, specifically this Venison Salisbury Steak. Because nutrition, particularly sufficient protein, is as important to recovery as sleep. Click here for the recipe and then read on for more about how venison offers some superior nutritional benefits when you are hamstrung by stress (either literally or figuratively or, as in my case, both). And it’s pretty stress-free to sign up to my newsletter here so you’ll receive each month’s recipe straight to your inbox!
It’s been so hot this summer that when friends ask how I am, I’m tempted to reply “medium-well” (done). 😉 In the midst of a heatwave, does merely the thought of cooking make you wilt? Then try these 
I realize I may be wading into uncharted waters this month by sharing a recipe for 
At last! Spring seems finally to have sprung where I live in Ontario. And I’m more than excited about the warm weather to come. So tonight I’m celebrating and serving up this scrumptious 
When it comes to nutrition, people often focus on what they should have less of. Less alcohol, less saturated fat, less starchy carbs, less sugar, and so on. But what if I told you that one of the simplest ways to improve your nutrition (and health) is to eat more of something? Namely more vegetables and fruits (particularly vegetables). A good rule-of-thumb is to devote half of the real estate on your plate to them. While a variety is best, it’s good practice to include some dark green vegetables in the mix every day. Personally, I’m more apt to eat a lot of vegetables when I make them the star of my plate. And this 
I was away in rural Ontario this past long weekend and brought several “ready made” meals along with me so that dinner prep would be easier. After four nights in a row of these “heat and serve”, commercially-prepared meals, however, I felt pretty awful. My stomach was gurgly and grumbly and both my energy and mood were rather low (though spending most of the weekend shoveling my way out of snowmageddon might have had something to do with that). Once back home, I made this easy and tasty tray-bake, which served as a good reminder that it really isn’t that much work to make a home-cooked meal. Especially when it is guaranteed to be far more nourishing than most commercially-prepared meals. This 
I can’t believe we are half way through January already. How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? One of the most common resolutions is to eat more healthily. And that often entails preparing meals from scratch rather than eating out, as cooking your own meals makes it much easier to control both the quantity and quality of the food you eat. While we all start out the New Year with the best of intentions, hurdles are inevitable. But you can overcome them by being a little strategic about it. The hurdle I most often hear about is time and/or lack of interest in cooking. So the strategy here is to have a few quick, easy-to-make recipes using foods that are readily at hand in your pantry. That’s why I chose this 
The festive season can be somewhat stressful with lots of gatherings and endeavouring to make things extra special. Sometimes, however, less is more. These 
I don’t think I’m alone in craving sweet treats once the weather gets chillier. And it’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe for something decadent, so I’m posting a dessert treat this month. I always have bananas on hand for my pre-run snack but last week I overbought and had a few extra-ripe ones left over at the end of the week. That was enough of an excuse to get baking. The recipe for these