Trail mix is usually a blend of nuts, seeds and dried fruits- all nutrient dense foods to provide lots of energy in small amounts. While this combination has many possibilities there is a little something extra I like to add- puffed brown rice. It is just like rice krispies but less refined and the only ingredient should be brown rice. It adds a nice light crunch to an otherwise very dense trail mix. This can fulfill its named purpose of providing sustenance out on the trail or it can be a topping for oatmeal or yogurt. If you are a snacker, something like this can be a good alternative to popcorn at a movie (popped corn is good but not all the chemicals and cheap oils they cover it with), chips at home or candy during work or a study session. Continue Reading →
3 Ingredient Granola
Granola can be as fancy as you want it to be, as well as a good way to turn small leftover amounts of nuts, seeds and dried fruits into your own artisinal breakfast. This three ingredient version is an easy base that can be multiplied and added to. Continue Reading →
Cilantro Pineapple Green Juice
Green juice is best tasting when the leafy greens are cut with some fruits and accented with crisp cucumber and fragrant herbs. This is one of my favorite combinations that I drink regularly year-round. When making juice or smoothies I like to combine ingredients that would taste good together in a dish, these ones for example could become a salsa for fresh seafood. Continue Reading →
Chunky Monkey Trail Mix
Trail mix is an easy and versatile, completely customizable and portable snack. It provides lots of nutrients in a small package, perfect for providing fuel out on the trails, keeping you nourished on the go or satisfying cravings for something sweet. Continue Reading →
Shamrock Smoothie
If you plan on consuming a fair share of green beer for St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow (also known as “National Drinking Day” in the holiday’s home country of Ireland), or if you’ve already been celebrating since the weekend, downing a nutrient dense smoothie like this can help your body recover faster. If you want to make it a little more like a (still healthy) milkshake and less like a smoothie you can try swapping the frozen banana and avocado for a scoop or two of plain coconut ice cream. Smoothies are really easy to digest since they are already blended up, this makes them a perfect snack or meal when your schedule is busy or if you are eating and drinking out at restaurants frequently. Continue Reading →
Piña Colada Energy Balls
Energy balls are compact sweet treats made from nutrient dense ingredients that are easily portable and provide a good dose of energy. Piña colada, or pineapple and coconut, is a delicious combination that can actually be pretty healthy and makes for slightly sweet and tropical tasting energy balls. Continue Reading →
Creamy Tropical Green Smoothie
I have been on a major smoothie kick the past few weeks, trying out different combinations every day and this one is my favorite so far. It has a lot of fruit and ends up making around 5-6 cups, big enough for breakfast or lunch after an intense morning workout or for sharing if it’s a less active day. Continue Reading →
Raw Nutella Truffles
Healthy treats can require lots of special and high-powered equipment to break down the whole food ingredients. Here I took a shortcut and chose only ingredients that would blend well- soft dates, ground nuts, nut butter, powdered cacao and vanilla extract. As long as the dates are fairly fresh they can be chopped up with a knife then the whole mixture can be mixed by hand, by massaging everything until it becomes a cohesive batter. Continue Reading →
Chickpea Herb Salad with Spicy Orange Yogurt Dressing
Fresh herbs are an underutilized source of nutrients. Dark leafy greens like kale and collards are well known for their health properties but we often overlook simple herbs. They can be strong tasting but a salad like this with a thick dressing, hearty legumes like chickpeas and the sweetness of carrots can balance them out well. Continue Reading →
Blueberry Banana Pancakes
Health food is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to grow every year. Products with tag lines like “vegan”, “gluten-free”, “low carb”, “natural”, “smarter”, “better-for-you” and “organic” can make a company massive profits. While some of these companies are devoted to making products that live up to the claims on their boxes, there are many that will take any shortcut and cost-cutting method available. For us, the consumers, this means that we cannot assume that a processed food product is all that it lives up to be. In the quest to eat healthier it is easy to start defining our diet with labels, when I was a hardcore vegan a box of waffles pretty much always made its way into my grocery cart and I ignored the list of preservatives and additives because what it didn’t contain was more important to me. Continue Reading →