Roasted Beet Salad with Apples and Walnuts in a Honey Dijon Sauce

I get the most amazing fresh beets from my fathers garden every year. I decided to try to spice them up with a creative recipe. The flavors of beets and apples really compliment each other, and walnuts bring out the nutty, woodsy flavor of the beets! Give it a try! Impress some company and pair it with turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Also would go nicely with roasted lamb and rosemary.

5-6 medium beets
1 Small apple, diced. (I like sweet and crisp apples, my favorite is Fuji)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp Hellmans Olive Oil Half Fat Mayonaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Honey
1 Tsp white Vinegar
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Roast the beets until tender (should be able to pierce beets easily with a fork). To roast beets, Cut the greens off, scrub the beets, (Skin on), in water to get all the dirt off. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil (some small beets may be wrapped together). Place on baking sheet and put in oven at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Check on the beets every 20 minutes or so to make sure they do not burn, and for tenderness.
2. Let the beets cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, the skins should peel off easily.
3. Dice the cooked beets in small cubes. Put in a large bowl with apples and walnuts.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together low fat mayo, dijon mustard, honey, vinegar and salt/pepper until mixture is creamy.
5. Combine the mixture with the beets, apples and walnuts.
*This recipe can be served chilled OR warmed! Whatever you prefer!

Clean Jambalaya

1 Bag of Raw Shrimp (50-60 pieces, remove tail)
2 lean Turkey Sausages
Fat Free Cooking Spray
1tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 cup Chopped Mushrooms
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 small Green Pepper, Chopped
2 cloves Garlic, Finely diced
1 tsp crushed Chilli peppers
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 can Whole Tomatoes, (No salt added)

1. In a large, non-stick skillet, with some Fat Free Cooking Spray, sautee Shrimp on medium heat until shrimp turn pink (approx 5-7 minutes). Set aside.
2. Cut turkey sausages into small round slices, Sautee on medium heat until cooked through. Approximately 10 minutes, or until the meat no longer has a pink appearance. Set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil on medium heat, add onion, green pepper and garlic. Sautee vegetables approximately 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms, Sautee another 5 minutes, to brown the vegetables.
4. Add can of Whole Tomatoes (No salt added) to the skillet with the vegetables. Add crushed chillies, oregano and cayenne pepper.
5. Stir in cooked sausage and shrimp.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce reduces and becomes thicker.
7. Serve over brown rice or quinoa! Makes 3-4 servings

Low Carb Reduced Fat Shepherds Pie

1 lb Extra Lean Ground Beef
 1 medium cooking onion, diced
1 can of mushrooms (Chopped and drained)
1 beef bouillon cube
1 can of Peas and Carrots (Drained)
1 head of Cauliflower (Boiled, strained and mashed)
1/4 cup egg whites
1 Tbsp 95% Fat Free Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese

1. In a large, non stick skillet, on medium heat, cook Extra Lean Ground Beef and onions for approximately 5 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and beef bouillon cube. Cook until meat is browned through.
3. Transfer meat mixture to the bottom of a square glass oven dish. (If excess fat noted in the pan, strain the mixture before transferring it to the oven proof dish).
4. layer meat mixture with the peas and carrots.
5. In a large bowl, mix together mashed cauliflower, herb and garlic cream cheese (optional), and egg whites. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Layer the cauliflower on top of the peas and carrots.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

What being a WBFF Pro Fitness Model means to me

So now its over, had an amazing time in Missisauga last weekend, making my professional debut on The WBFF World stage. So happy and proud to be a part of the most prestigious fitness and modeling event in the world. Had lots of fun and met a lot of great people.
Now its over for another year. This means new goals, new training, new diet. What does being a WBFF Pro Fitness model mean to me? This means that there is no such thing as an "off-season". Sure, I enjoyed a good amount of treats that I was unable to allow myself to have during contest prep, but now that the show is over, I do not throw away my clean eating and training until next year. Rather, now is a time to evaluate my strengths, weaknesses and goals for the current season. Being a fitness professional is being an advocate for a clean, healthy lifestyle. By doing this, my hopes are to inspire others to adopt (and fall in love with) a healthy way of living! Sure I could eat cookies, pizza and ice cream everyday if I wanted to, and still work put in work for 3 months a year to look great on stage, but I simply don't want to! My healthy meals and snacks are just as satisfying and tasty as all of the saturated-fatty-foods out there, and they also make me feel good by providing my body with the proper fuel and energy it needs to feel great everyday and recover properly from my training.

Of course it can be unrealistic to have a consistently lean "contest-shape" ready body, all year round. 7-15lbs weight gain after a show is natural (and necessary) in my opinion, depending on one's height. However, to me, being a WBFF Pro Fitness Model means being always being the advocate for a healthy lifestyle. This also means being ready for a photoshoot all year round. You want to shoot tomorrow? Sure, no problem. Next week? absolutely. 6 Months from now? I'll be there.