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Chantal Urbina

  • [ Home ]
  • [ Massage Therapy ]
    • Meet Chantal
    • Contact
    • Massage Therapy Practice
  • [ Recipes ]
    • By Name
    • Meals for Minis
  • [ Wellness ]
  • [ Favourites ]
[ WELCOME ]. My name is Chantal . I am a retired Registered Massage Therapist and a current Stay at Home Mom looking after my first baby, Eliana. I am a Culinary Nutrition Expert who is passionate about making healthy and wholesome meals for the whole family. 

[ WELCOME ]. My name is Chantal .I am a retired Registered Massage Therapist and a current Stay at Home Mom looking after my first baby, Eliana. I am a Culinary Nutrition Expert who is passionate about making healthy and wholesome meals for the whole family. 

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Happy Easter! I got no family pictures or shots of the kids-we were all too busy enjoying the weather!
If you don’t have a snack platter going on, are you even long weekend-ing? Here’s to snacking, sharing, and caring!
Throwing it back to last Easter with these cuties. A egg filled snack party is never a bad idea. Have a wonderful weekend!
So true story: I made these incredible looking Maple Dijon chicken thighs for dinner and it was to be enjoyed with a wonderful rice and veggie medley. However, I spoiled the girls dinner by having a snack party with them out on our balcony as we sun bathed. And once my husband got home from work, we wanted to squeeze in some park time with them before bedtime and my spin class. So I ate oatmeal out of a container on the way to the park. It’s 9:30 pm now and I’m eating some chicken as my post-workout snack. Hey, whatever works. Plus, now there’s leftovers for dinner tomorrow which is a huge bonus because I work. And this is just the beginning. I’m forever and always a sun chaser. Tis’ the season where I put family time outside above all else, even freshly baked crispy topped delicious chicken thighs.
I made my Cranberry Quinoa Cookies but swapped the cranberries for chocolate chips because it’s all I had. That’s never a bad modification. These guys are vegan friendly, gluten-free, have no added sugars otherwise, and can be school friendly! Direct link is in the profile.
I started working when I was 15 years old. I worked a lot of hours at every job since that first one. I was always promoted quickly and I always had a great work ethic. . Wendy’s Family Restaurant was my first job ever. I always picked up extra shifts and always went in to help out when we were short staffed. I didn’t work a lot because I loved biggie sizing combo meals or making hamburgers. I worked a lot because I loved the people I worked with. It was always so much fun and I STILL have solid friendships that bloomed from this time. . A couple jobs later, I had my first (and only) panic attack at work. I was taking on a huge department at the time as well as taking on roles outside my specific position. I wanted things done right and wanted to avoid wasting time correcting mistakes made from others. A self-inflicted burn out would be one way of putting it. . During completing Massage Therapy College, I worked part-time at a clothing store. Except part-time really became full time with all the hours I pulled. This was just after my brother had passed and I was still living with my broken hearted mama. She was deep in the hell that addiction is and I often avoided going home. I’d stay late to clean the store, dress mannequins, and rearrange the departments. Work was my escape. . My first position as a Registered Massage Therapist was out of a Chiropractic office. There was a list of clients already waiting for massage therapy treatments. I was busy from the get go. I loved the feeling of being in demand and the money wasn’t so bad either. At one point, I was massaging 7 hours a day. Don’t worry, developing arthritis at 26 made me check myself. . And now, after a 3 year pause every thing is different. The temptation to work more is always there. But I remind myself that I wanted a schedule with flexibility. I want days with my girls. And I sure as hell don’t want arthritis again. It’s all balanced so perfectly right now. And the best part is? For the first time, at age 34, I’m finally working because I’m loving what I do. And I’m just getting started.
I was recently going to wrote a post about how much others don’t care about our own insecurities that we personally obsess over. But then I realized that isn’t true. Just because I don’t care or notice what others may dislike about themselves , doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t. The sad fact is, some people will always judge others. . What I am sure of is that this judgement all stems from within. I’d be lying if I said I was always this accepting, respecting, carefree, and in love with all of our differences. I used to criticize, as if I had the right. I did it because I had set standards so high for myself. And every last insecurity I had about myself was influencing the way I saw others. . I’ve come a long, loooooooong way. I started to appreciate the differences and the confidence in others. It was inspiring. I had my first daughter and knew I needed to unlearn everything I had convinced myself of. If I could see others in a light of admiration and beauty, I could surely (and deserved to) see myself in the same way. And ever since I made that move, I haven’t felt more liberated. I am living in a whole new world as a brand new person. . Judgements from others will never vanish. And it breaks my heart to know that my daughters will encounter some moments that will shake them. The truth is, some may make fun of our style. Some may comment on our weight. Some may laugh at our best efforts. Some may put us down. But we don’t ever have to carry that. These negative thoughts belong to the holder, not us. We need to remember that every hurtful judgement is coming from a broken place. It. Has. Nothing. To. Do. With. Us. I know this because I was once in this broken place. The good news is that it’s never too late to break the cycle. To opt out of living with a crushed spirit in response to someone else’s own brokenness.
Frankly, when it comes to making better choices in regards to our diets, it’s pretty simple. Eat a lot of plants and a little bit of everything else. But we humans just love the complicate the shit out of everything so here we are, second guessing every last thing we put on our plates. . I’ve done it all. The diets, the restrictions (and for good reasons), and the challenges. But I had to go through my journey to learn what I know now. I had to learn what real foods were and how to prepare them from scratch. And most importantly, I had to learn what balance really looked like for me. . I’ve healed what needed healing, and I’ve learned the fundamentals of what I needed to know to go forward. I’ve reached a point where I’ve never felt happier and healthier and I’m still eating everything I love (including processed goods). Personally, I do think the step that makes the biggest impact in ones diet is the plants. Learn about them, learn to cook with them, and learn the millions of ways they can be enjoyed. This step alone will change everything. And the best part is, it doesn’t have to be hard. . What I adore about Salvadoran cuisine is that there’s generally a serving of a simple vegetable garnish. This picture is of “chimol” which is a homemade salsa. It’s incredible on top of anything. I even more so, adore “curtido” which is a homemade cabbage slaw. It also complements any meal. These recipes are an effortless way to add that serving of veg. The direct link to this salsa recipe is in my profile. Let’s veg it up.
The much needed date night ✨.
A lot of parents ask me for advice on how to manage it all when returning back to work. And the same goes for any big shifts in life, really. The answer is grace. Now is not the time to be hard on ourselves. Now is not the time to play superwoman/man. We need to be ok with a grace period. A time where our diets aren’t top notch. Where our exercise routine is compromised. Where our life in general is in the midst of chaos. We need to drop all high expectations and allow ourselves to find a new groove and readjust it accordingly. Lastly, we need not compare. Big changes come with mixed emotions. It’s best to remind ourselves to stay on our paths. Let’s know what our priorities are and be ready to remind ourselves of them every time our minds start to wonder into the negative space that comparison often leads us to. It. Doesn’t. Matter. What. Anybody. Else. Is. Doing. . Grace. This is all just temporary. We will be back into the swing of things soon enough. Here’s to allowing ourselves to just get by. To make it through survival mode. For me, this sometimes looks like eating Eggos for breakfast, forgetting to drink enough water, forgetting Dr’s appointments for my kids 😆, and so on. It’s all G though.
My Pumpkin Granola Sqaures are life right now. I’m a sucker for homemade snacks and treats. I love knowing I control what goes in what I make. And I appreciate my coffee breaks with my handmade goodies more than anything else. . These were made with the whole family in mind but I ain’t gonna lie-I mostly hide them all for myself. Totally allergy friendly so acceptable for school snacks, and totally delicious-pleasing everyone. I haven’t had the chance to post the recipe on my own blog but the link in my profile will take you where you need to go. Let me know what you think if you make these guys-we love em.’ And no, Pumpkin isn’t “out” right now. It never is.
Today marks 1 month back at work. It’s been a dream. I had no idea how bad I needed this. How much I missed it. I cannot wait to further explore my options. Learn everything I can. Incorporate more into my treatments. Expand my services. Grow. Fall more in love with self-care. Continue to watch how it changes people. FEEL how it changes people. Today I am celebrating my first month back. I am celebrating meeting my goals. And I’m moving into April with open arms of gratitude and pure joy. . Im also curious to know, what is your favourite service or treatment offered by Registered Massage Therapists? Or is there anything you’ve been wanting to try? I’d love to read your answers here. Always curious to see what others are finding beneficial from a client perspective.

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Massage Therapy with Chantal Urbina, RMT
Massage Therapy with Chantal Urbina, RMT
about a month ago

In case you happened to miss it, I have decided to return back to work part-time. And after exploring some options available in the workforce, my intuition led me to a familiar field, Massage Therapy.

I was a Registered Massage Therapist for over a decade before I went on an extended maternity leave after having my first daughter. Upon the comfort of knowing our family is now complete with two precious little girls, I am now looking to pursue more.

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"Autumn's Up" Pumpkin Smoothie

October 23, 2014 in Smoothies, Breakfast, Snack

I would try and fight the ongoing stereotype of every “white girl” being in love with fall but I can’t since for me, that stereotype rings to be true. It’s the season where we obsess over everything pumpkin and indulge in a few Starbucks seasonal beverages. I was wanting to get my pumpkin on ever since our first cooler day hit but I kept forgetting to buy some because I never marked it on my list. So instead everyone teased me day after day with all of their eager pumpkin making madness until I finally caved and ran to the store just for pumpkin alone.

I stocked up on several cans of the ever so popular seasonal star and I will most definitely be experimenting with different recipes. One of my goals is to master a gluten free, dairy free, and egg free pumpkin pie. A baked one. I’ve tried a couple raw pumpkin pies in the past and they were good, but they did not carry the “100% amaze balls” factor. Anyways, stay tuned for that…In the meantime, sip on this creamy, pumpkin smoothie that I’ve created with inspiration from Angela aka Oh She Glows at www.ohsheglows.com. Cheers and “Autumn’s Up!”-from the fall loving, pumpkin errthang white girl.

Photo taken by www.simplychicphotography.com

Photo taken by www.simplychicphotography.com

"Autumn's Up" Pumpkin Smoothie                                            

*Yields 1 large smoothie

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup soaked cashews (so ¼ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours)
  • ½ cup pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
  • 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. molasses
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. maca powder (optional)
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
  • ½ cup of crushed ice

Garnish:

  • Coconut whipped cream

  • Pure maple flakes
  • Maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Blend all smoothie ingredients together in a blender until you have reached a creamy, velvety texture.
  2. Pour into glass of your choice and garnish however your little heart desires!

 

Tags: Glutenfree, Grainfree, Dairyfree, Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian, Paleo
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