Bites of Summer

Summer is slowly fading out. While our furnace has yet to be turned on, we have spent fewer days on the beach and more days finishing our yard before frost sets in. A fresh crisp breeze is drifting in the window while hazy light filters through the clouds. It is beautiful and peaceful. Yet I'm still enjoying the last bits of summer, including the bounty from the farm fresh gardens! One way to enjoy all the fresh produce available right now is in sandwiches - no heat required meals are my favourite when the heat goes above 20*C. This sandwich is something special I learnt from my birthday lunch! My Mom arrived with the most amazing spread of delicious food! Watermelon salad, hummus and fresh vegetables, and quinoa salad sandwiches! Oh and the most incredible coconut cake, but I need to get that recipe from Mom before I can share it - she created it for my special day! We enjoyed the sandwiches so much that I recreated them that very week, and enjoyed them for a few days...for both lunch and dinner. When I like something I tend to go over board.  If you like nutritious food that leaves you drooling for more, this is a recipe you need to try! It is more of a guideline than a recipe as it is a 'what produce you have in the fridge is what you want to use' sort of recipe. And the amounts are up to you too - as this is completely customisable. So really, here's the list of what my mom and I liked in the ones we created, and you can create yours with your favourite vegetables too!

Quinoa Salad Sandwiches

an original recipe from my Mom!

+
cooked qunioa -roughly 2 cups
black beans
chick peas
kidney beans
pumpkin seeds, raw and unsalted
kale
carrots
cucumber
red and yellow bell peppers
red cabbage
red onion

Strain and wash all the beans and place them in a bowl with the cooled qunioa. The chop all the vegetables into little pieces and add them to the bowl until the desired ratio has been achieved. Dress with your favourite dressing [mine was olive oil based with herbs and lemon juice] and serve in pita  bread. I enjoyed my best with spinach and hummus lining the pita before putting in the quinoa salad - but really it comes down to personal preference.


What has been your go to meal this summer? Are you favoring those recipes that neglect your oven? Or do you brave the heat in favor of a cooked meal every night? Now that fall is swinging into season my oven and i may just be rekindling our relationship, but I will keep this sandwich in play year round.
+

Above Grade

I have this theory that there is a blogpost graveyard. Not the type where awful - never should have been written - turn your head and shudder posts go, but the place where posts which have been written and never published go to commiserate one another on their non-published state. For all those who maintain their own blog, whether public or private, you know what I'm talking about. The posts that are utterly too personal, delve too deeply, or are just too special to share. I have a boat load of them. Sometimes I really want to hit the 'PUBLISH POST" button; I inch the cursor over, wanting to click the mouse so badly, but then pull away at the last moment. Today, this happened yet again. So, while there are a few posts that may very well end up in said imaginary graveyard, I have a few tips for you to keep you healthy, happy, and most of all above ground.

Wholefood plant based nutrition is an integral part of my life. Because of this fact, I am often asked questions on why I made this health wise change, how to do it, and if it's hard to do. First off, I made this health change for a multitude of reasons, many of which I outlined in this post here. Making the transition to a wholefood lifestyle is as quick as making the decision to do so. You can of course make a gradual shift, but for others it's easier to commit to a new way of living and eating, and not look back. I for one found it easier to drop the meat and walk away. To be honest, the only time I have a tough time is at family occasions when the meal is centred around a side of cow, or an entire bird [it doesn't sound as appealing when stated like that does it?] Whether you are just kicking off your food/health investigation, or are ready to delve deeper into your study, here are a few resources to feast on.

Forks Over Knives

Food Matters

Food Inc

There is so much information on how to feed your body properly - all you need to do is a little research! And as always, I am more than happy to help you along the way - all you need to do is ask.

Take it to Heart

On the website PCRM.org, there is a plethora of information on how to increase your energy and enthusiasm for life through eating to live - instead of living to eat. Today being Valentine's Day, pcrm is focusing on heart health, and the article on Dr.Barnard's Blog says it all! If you are looking for something to whip up for you sweet heart[s] today, try thinking outside of the take out box, and focus on produce. A meal based on fresh produce will not only fill you up faster due to all that yummy fibre, but it will strengthen your heart and help clean up your arteries too! For supper tonight, my little ones will be dining on one of our families favourite soups, which just so happens to be RED - perfect for Valentine's Day!

Ginger Beets Soup

An original recipe created by me!

5-6 beets

4-5 parsnips

5 carrots

1 bulb garlic

olive oil

1 " fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, minced

6-8 cups water

2 reduced sodium organic vegetable broth cubes

Wash, trim, and dice the beets parsnips and carrots. Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, then arrange in a pan. Trim off the top of a bulb of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 425*F oven for about 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the vegetables.

In a heavy bottomed stock pot, saute the ginger, celery, and onion until onion is tender. Add the roasted vegetables, water, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from heat. Once the soup is cool enough to be place in your blender without melting it, blend it in batches, returning the soup to the pot after each batch, until the entire soup has been pureed. Alternatively, you can use a immersion blender right in the stock pot.

Serve this soup with a fresh green salad, and homemade rolls for the perfect supper that all ages will enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!



Morning Glory

Around our home, there is one request that I receive more than," can you make some cookies today?" As we snuggle in bed, I ask Darius what he'd like for breakfast, and almost every morning his reply is,"um, how bout some pancakes?" Said so sweetly, and with such a hopeful smile, I have a hard time refusing the request. And so, more often than not, I make pancakes, and everyone is happy - including me because I know these pancakes are healthy for my little men! I shun away from packaged goods, and that includes when it comes to making breakfast for my kiddos. Which is the reason why I developed a pancake recipe that incorporates vegetables, natural plant proteins, and health fats. Make a batch of these for your family, and you can relax when they ask for a little syrup [as long as it's 100% pure maple syrup that is.]

Pumpkin Pancakes

an original recipe created by me!

 2 c. almond milk
1/2 c. water
1 c. pure pumpkin puree
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp. vinegar
2 c. stone ground whole wheat flour
1 c. raw frozen cashews [not salted]
1/4 c. chia seeds
1/4 c. hemp hearts
3 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat your pancake grill to 300*F. Put the cashews in a blender, and blend until a fine powder [having the cashews frozen ensures that they turn into a powder when blended, instead of turning into cashew butter.] Next, in a stand mixer, add all the ingredients, including the ground cashews, and blend together. Remember to use a spatula to clear off the sides of the bowl a few times while blending. Once all the ingredients are nicely blended, use a 1/4c. measuring cup and scoop batter onto the hot pancake grill. Make your pancakes nice and round, and remember to flatten them with the back of your spatula when you flip them so that they are not too thick [this will ensure that they cook all the way through.] Watch your pancakes so you know when to flip them, but I find that 3-5 minutes is the magic number per side. Yield approximately 18 pancakes

Once your pancakes are off the grill enjoy them with 100% maple syrup as my little Darius does, or with cut up fresh fruit on them as I do [I also love them with natural peanut butter spread on top of them!] If you have left overs [as we do every time I make them] freeze them for a quick toaster breakfast in mornings to come!

Enjoy!

Fast and Frenzied

This week and next are stacking up to be crazy! We move on Tuesday, and so this week is packing, buying appliances, and more packing. Oh, and Thanksgiving. Which means company. Yikes! With all this on my plate, I have just spent an hour researching Christmas projects (have I mentioned that we're doing a handcrafted Christmas?) instead of packing, cleaning, or baking ahead of time...oh well.

When life seems to pick up speed, I respond by finding ways to fit in exercise, me time, and healthy eats, in a shorter time allotment [which is why we had leftover brown rice, steamed broccoli, and brown beans for supper - a winning combo for all!] The following workout took me 17 minutes to complete. Then I wanted to puke. Consider yourself warned.

5 rounds of 5 repetitions of each exercise

Push Ups
Diamond Push Ups
Dive bombers
Sit Ups (no bracing)
Leg Levers
Flutter Kicks
Lunges [5/leg]
Broad Jumps
Squats
Sumo Dead Lift High Pull [SDLHP]
Dips
100yrd Sprint [one sprint per round]

For a breakdown of what each exercise is, reference the SEALFIT site that this workout comes from. My Amazing Husband put himself through the paces with this workout at work, then came home and challenged me to do the same. He did 10 rounds of 10 reps each, but seeing as time is of the essence, he suggested sticking to 5/5 and it was killer! With only preforming 5 repetitions, it allows you to push yourself beyond capacity [which is where the after-puke affect comes into play.]

Follow up your workout with dry heaving a cool down and stretching, before diving into one of these

or these

or even one of these

What are your Thanksgiving Weekend plans? Any big dinners? or guests? Thankfully our move occurs after the craziness of the weekend, so we'll be able to enjoy vegan pumpkin pie and roasted vegetables all the same! Either way, I'll be enduring enjoying this workout again this weekend!

Grandma Bread

My Mother in Law is amazing. Seriously. On top of being amazing, she bakes wonderful, fluffy, whole wheat bread full of flavor and bursting with goodness. Everytime we are visiting and my MIL is baking bread, I watch carefully, often getting in her way as she putters around the kitchen, and try to replicate the miracle of bread at home. While I have made a mean loaf in my day, my bread is not a consistent hit, so I took it upon myself to truly crane my neck, write copious notes, and snap too many pictures all in the pursuit of moan worthy bread. My oh my was it worth it! If you are in search for whole wheat bread worth baking, look no further - MIL will show you the way.

Grandma Bread

Ingredients
6 cups pretty warm water
13 cups (roughly) freshly ground whole wheat flour
4 cups white flour
1/2 cup - 2/3 cups honey
3 tbsp fast rising yeast
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup freshly ground flax seed (measured before grinding)
2/3 cups millet
2/3 cups sunflower seeds


Before you begin, grind all the flour and flax, and bring all ingredients you will need out to the counter.

First, put the pretty warm water in your mixer. Add honey, and yeast, and 6 cups of fresh ground whole wheat flour. Pulse your mixer three times or so, then set it to mix on low speed for 30-60 seconds.


Stop the mixer and add the eggs and salt. Blend.


While blending, add the oil.


Stop the mixer and add the flax, millet, and sunflower seeds. Blend.


Continue mixing and add 2 cups fresh ground whole wheat flours. Blend until smooth.


Add four 4 cups white flour (my MIL has found that this is what makes her bread so fluffy. If you wish to omit the white flour, your bread will simply be denser, and not rise quite as high.)


Blend.


Now, add fresh ground whole wheat flour until mixer begins to 'whine' a bit. This will come with practice, and also patients. Add 1 cup at a time, allowing time for the flour to work into the dough. Whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture as it works into the dough, so if you add flour too rapidly it will end up making a very dry dough, and yucky bread. Patients is key!


My MIL ended up adding 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour during the space of about five minutes. Hit the sides of the bowl while its mixing to help the dough pull away.

If it is still really sticky and wet, add some more whole wheat flour.


Once the dough is right, let the mixer knead it for 10 minutes. VERY IMPORTANT - this works the gluten in the flour and the yeast in the dough. Both need time to be activated and help the bread to raise and be a nice and fluffy loaf when baked.

Once the dough has kneaded, lightly oil a clean counter and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. After the dough has rested, it feels less tacky. When sliced with a knife, it doesn't stick to the knife. Then slice in half, and each half into thirds, making six loaves.


Spray six loaf pans with PAM, then put shape dough so that the top is smooth, and put into pans. Let the dough raise in the pans until roughly 2" above the rim of the pan (approximately one hour, depending on the heat of your home.) There is no need to cover the dough with a towel.

Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes [this is the same if you've making buns, however I find that 25 minutes is ussually sufficent for bunms.]

Tip: Pans make a difference! Old pans bake bread more evenly, and can often be found at garage sales for a steal of a deal. The size you are looking for is 8 1/2"x 4 1/2" across the top inside rim of the pan.


Tip:Buns are a great option if you don't have enough pans! Follow the directions as noted, but instead of shaping into loaves, shape into little buns, place on pan, and let rise for an hour, then bake as directed.

Summer Stew

On long car rides we sing songs. Top of our lungs, way off key, and full of joy! One of these songs is "Purple Stew." I was shocked to find out that this song is not in everyones repertoires, so if you are unfamiliar with it please YouTube it - it's entertaining and really easy to memorize. Anyways, I decided to try my hand at making a real purple stew, thinking Sweet Darius would think it was funny. He didn't. In fact he was afraid to even try it. Fail. However, everyone else tried it, loved it, and ate it all up. The idea comes from my Mother In Law, which in and of itself should tell you its worth trying. Ready?

 Purple Summer Stew


Ingredients


lots of garden fresh veggies (I used potatoes, carrots, green beans, onions, and zucchini)
black bean flour
water
salt and pepper to taste


Chop all the vegetables into chunks. Place in a stock pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Let cook on a low boil for about twenty minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Shake black bean flour and water in a shaker cup until blended, then add to pot. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.


Even if the picture doesn't entice you (I admit, it doesn't look as appealing in photo) give this stew a chance - it is completely delicious and absolutely nutritious!    

Have you ever been inspired to try something based on a song or story? I often find myself thinking through a recipe based on children's songs...maybe it's all the children's songs I sing ha!

SO you want to be a Vegan...

When I started down the vegan path, I was shocked at how easy it was to transition. Before I was eating Greek yogurt daily, whey protein isolate shakes after most workouts, and meat without thought. I dealt with gastrointestinal distress daily - something that I only realized once I eliminated dairy, meat, and eggs from my nutritional intake. Becoming vegan is a very daunting idea for many. What I hear most - admittedly even from my own lips - is "But what about cheese? I could never give up cheese!" Well guess what? There is life after cheese. And life without cheese is wonderful!

To help you find your footing, and learn the vegan ropes so to speak, here are a few sources that I have found extremely helpful:

Love Veggies and Yoga  Averie is a vegan who blogs about fitness, lifestyle, and food. She is partial to sweet recipes, and usually gives a vegan and/or gluten free option to her recipes.

Healthy Tipping Point  Caitlin is the creator of the "Operation Beautiful" movement, and blogs about lifestyle, fitness, and food. She is a vegetarian and has some great recipes that you can easily transform into a vegan dish!

Whole Food Mommies is a blog authored by three Mom's: Veteran, Maintenance, and Newbie Mommies. Their recipes are all plant based, no revisions required!

Live Extraordinary is a blog authored by a good friend of mine whom is a ways further down the plant based nutrition route than myself. Estelle studied Holistic Nutrition and has many insights, recipes, and informational tidbits to share. Her blog is definitely worth looking at!

No Meat Athlete is a fantastic resource for athlete and non-athletes alike. For those unsure as to whether they will get enough protein eating a plant based diet, definitely take a look at this site! Protein is not the be all, end all that we've been led to believe!

And here's two I found recently, which I haven't looked at too carefully myself, but thought I would pass on to you all as well:

Une Vie Saine  and That Normal Vegan

I hope this gives you a good jumping off point! Sometimes all we need is a little bit of knowledge to make the vegan leap - and I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful food is on the other side!

Double Double

While Darius and I were perusing my bloglist this morning, we noticed a recipe that begged to be tried. With all the goodness of a cupcake, and none of the 'badness,' we were drawn to these muffins instantly. Jotting down the ingredients, I bolted up the stairs after a very excited little boywhom was yelling, "chocolate! Chocolate!" as he pranced up each step and down the hall to the kitchen. Gathering our ingredients, we had everything assembled before openning the pantry to grab the zucchini. And what did we find? Mold! Covering our precious star ingredient! So, from frusteration sprung creativity. Having the rest of the ingredients assemlbed, we couldn't NOT make muffins, so we racked our brains, and came up with a suitable substitute replacement. Thank you apples for being an amazing pinch hitter! These cupcakes muffins are devine - and rather healthy to boot. But don't worry, you're kids won't know; they'll just think they have the coolest Mama around who gave them a cupcake in their school lunch! (Just think of all the fruits and vegetables you could put in these gems and serve up as a dessert, at a brunch, or anywhere really!)



Double Chocolate Apple Muffins

(adapted generously from cher stuff)

2 cups grated apple

1 1/2cup stone ground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup good quality cocoa

1/4 cup fresh milled flaxseed

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, oat bran, cocoa, flaxseed, chia seed, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Add the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips and mix until combined. Spoon into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 375 F until the tops are firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then transfer to the rack to cool completely.

Yeild: 2 1/2 dozen (or 1 1/2 dozen large, plus 2 dozen minis)

 

Apple Carrot Muffins

Have you ever dug fresh carrots out of a garden? Bitten into the crisp, fresh, sweet carrot and thought you'd gone to heaven?  I can not get enough of just-dug-up carrots, but it is always nice to spice things up a bit. Having healthy snacks on hand is a "Must Have" for Mamas everyone so here is a little snack inspiration to get the school lunches, picnics in the park, midnight lunches rolling!

Apple Carrot Muffins


4 eggs
1 cup apple sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup fresh grated carrots
1 cup raisins


Beat egg well. Add apple sauce, oil, and honey, beating well until thick. Add vanilla. Stir in dry ingedients. Fold in grated carrots and raisins. Yeild: 3 dozen (or 1 dozen large, plus four dozen minis!)


Bake at 400F for 15 minutes (or 11 minutes for the minis)

if you're wondering about the about the colorful backdrop to these delicious muffins, I took the pic while on a beach day wiith my boys. I suddenly realized as I unpacked our picnic that I had yet to snap a pic of these, and I really wanted to share thier goodness with all of you! Here's a zoom out of the 'plate' that the muffin is posed on:

If only all my platters were so cute! ha!

Oh Canada!

If you're looking for the awesome sauce giveaway here it is! If you've been reading for a while, but haven't become a 'follower' of the blog, make sure you do so and enter the giveaway today!



Holidays are a great excuse reminder to make everyday memorable. I love the excitement in the air that accompanies celebrations, and thought I'd get myself in the Canada Day spirit by making a color co-ordinated supper. And the results? Simply delicious!

Red and White Chili
by me!

1 parsnip, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
2 beets, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cartons chicken broth
1-2 tsp garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp marjoram
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
three bay leaves

Add all ingredients to a crock pot, stir to mix ingredients, then set on high and cook for a couple of hours. After two to three hours, turn the crock pot down to low, and let simmer until ready to serve.

Garnishes: Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, tortilla chips, avocado slices - all together, or just one!

Do you have any favorite holiday recipes?