The Sweet Spot Kitchen takes you through four milestones on the road to eating well with heart concerns: Knowledge, Meal Planning, Recipes/Ideas, and Behaviour Change.
This is a comprehensive list of what’s ready for you as of December, 2022, and what’s planned for early 2023.
Knowledge 
This milestone ensures that everyone starts with a solid foundation for what, when, and how much to eat for heart health. (The good news is that it’s quite flexible!)
Much of this may be review for you, but I find people appreciate the reinforcement, and always learn something new!
- Video: Six keys to heart-healthy eating in your sweet spot
- Activity: Cardiac nutrition self-assessment
- Video: Cardiac nutrition FAQs and controversies (eggs, red meat, low-carb, vegan…)
- Video: Figuring out when and how much to eat (tapping into the wisdom within you)
- Activity: Hunger and Fullness Journal
- Video: Eating for specific cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.)
- Video: The lowdown on label-reading
- Activity: Pantry check-up
- Eating for Energy and Heart Health (planned January 19, 2023)
These videos and activities are intended to take about a month, but you can binge them or skip around if you like.
Meal Planning
The next step in the path, if needed, is to help you establish a simple system for collecting meal ideas and a regular routine for planning, shopping, prep, and cooking.
- Video: Set up your recipe collection and go-to list
- Resource: Sample Go-To List
- Video: Set up your routine
- Resource: Sample and blank meal plans
- Resource: Pantry Meal Ideas
- Video: Grocery strategies
- Resource: Pre-printed grocery shopping lists
- Bonus Video: How to eat for heart health when you have no time
Again, this is intended to be month number two, but you can adjust according to your needs.
Recipes/Ideas
We focus on one aspect of heart-healthy eating every month, to help you grow your repertoire and continue your momentum.
Breakfast
Breakfast is a key opportunity to get fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and other heart health-boosting foods. Guidance and ideas for fuelling up in the morning.
- Video: Key components for a heart-healthy start
- Activity: Breakfast pantry check
- PDF: Breakfast inspiration (recipes and a list of protein sources)
- PDF: Higher protein breakfast ideas
- Activity: Breakfast Challenge
If you’re not already a solid breakfast eater, this could be month number three for you, taking about another 3-4 weeks. Or you could skim through it and move to the next.
Lunch
Lunch might give breakfast a run for its money as most important meal of the day! Eat well here for more energy in the afternoon and an easier time finishing the day on a heart healthy note.
- Video: Let’s talk lunch!
- PDF: Lunch recipes and meal ideas
- Activity: Lunch challenge
Pulses / Legumes
Pulses, legumes, beans… whatever you call them, you probably know that they’re good for you. The big question I get is… what on earth to do with them?
- Video – Pulses / Legumes: What to do with these things?
- PDF: Pulse/legume recipes and meal ideas
- Pulse/Legume Challenge
Navigating the holidays
My holiday wish is that you’re able to celebrate and enjoy while staying on track with your heart health goals. We can do this!
- Live session – Navigating the Holidays
- PDF: Festive Recipe Collection
Eating Out and On the Go
Generally homemade is best, but sometimes when you’re travelling, running from place to place, or just need a break, restaurant food has its place.
- Live session – Eating Out With Heart Health in Mind
- PDF – Best Bets for Fast Food (Subway, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Freshii, and Panera Bread)
Getting More Vegetables
(planned for January 2023)
- Live session – Eating More Vegetables Without Hating Your Life
- PDF – Vegetable Recipes in the Sweet Spot
Fish and Omega-3
(planned for February 2023)
- Live session – Fish and Heart Health
- PDF – Favourite Fish Recipes
Whole Grains
(planned for March 2023)
- Live session – Beyond oatmeal and bread – Building your whole grain repertoire
- PDF: Wholesome Whole Grain Recipes
- Activity – Fibre checkup
Behaviour change
Even after mastering the first three milestones, many people continue to struggle with healthy eating! If that’s you, you’re certainly not alone.
The Sweet Spot Kitchen also includes insights and tools to help you with this:
- Activity: Cardiac nutrition assessment and goal setting – prompts to help you look at where you are and determine where exactly you want to go
- Video: Problem-solving when it feels like your eating is off track.
- Video: Why we get off track – an exploration of the many subtle as well as obvious reasons we eat in ways we later regret.
- Video: Our behaviour change toolbox – When it comes to habit changing, we have a lot of tools we can use! I go over some of the strategies for which we have the best evidence.
- Activity: Hunger and Fullness Journal – to help you reconnect with your innate ability to self-regulate
- Video tip: Food journal ins and outs
- Video: Celebrate the small wins – why this is so important, and how to make it happen
- Behaviour change activity: Personal Motivators (planned for February 16)
- Behaviour change activity: Types of Hunger (planned for March 30)
Registration closes January 11
Does this sound like something that would help you? Learn more or sign up here.