Marie’s Maple Parfait

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My mom’s friend Marie is one of the best cooks I know, her food is always full of love and so creatively prepared. She makes this for us in the summer, a simple dessert from her Québécois background, with blueberries over vanilla yogurt drizzled with maple syrup. It is unbelievably good! I like to eat it on its own for snacks too so I add in some nuts and seeds to make it extra filling and increase the protein and fat content to balance out the sugar, keeping blood sugar levels from spiking too much. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, Paleo, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Chocolate Hemp Milkshake

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This has the healthy ingredients of a smoothie but the thick creaminess of a chocolate milkshake. Hemp is a pretty amazing plant, every part of which can be used and transformed into textiles, soap, paper, plastic, paint and more. The seeds are anti-inflammatory nutritional powerhouses rich in magnesium, protein and essential healthy fats. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Beverage, Gluten Free, Paleo, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Subtly Spiced Nut Clusters

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Most portable and quick snacks are quite sweet, with lots of stabilizers, preservatives and refined sugars so I like to make something like this when I am really busy or going on a road trip or long flight. They have lots of healthy fat, protein and fiber to fill you up between meals and they will not lead to any sugar crashes. Baking nuts and seeds into clusters with egg whites as a binder makes them a little easier to eat with your hands because there are no little pieces to fish out of a bag- much more convenient when on the go. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Gluten Free, Paleo, Snack, Vegetarian

Tuna Avocado Cups

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Avocados are technically fruits but they are more like nuts, being low in sugar and high in fat with a creamy texture and rich flavor. In many nutritional philosophies and general thinking there is the principal that like increases like, but this is not the case with certain dietary fats. Seemingly contradictorily, eating good quality fats in moderation does not increase body fat percentages, and it can even help the body to metabolize current excess fat stores, or burn fat. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Gluten Free, Paleo, Salad, Seafood, Snack

PB&J Recovery Smoothie

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This smoothie is all about the strawberries… and peanut butter. It has lots of natural sugars from all the fruits, making it a good option to refuel after a tough workout. Strawberries have the most vitamin C out of all berries, and they are also the best source of iron and potassium. Peanuts are actually a legume, resulting in them being higher in B vitamins than most nuts. They also have substantial amounts of calcium, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium.  Continue Reading →

Posted in: Beverage, Breakfast, Gluten Free, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bacon Egg Salad

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Eggs are a great source of easy to digest protein and their yolks have an important nutrient called lecithin which helps with memory and other cognitive processes. They also contain several other vitamins and minerals, many of which are mostly concentrated in the yolks. There is some concern over the substantial presence of cholesterol also in the yolks, but research seems to be showing that eating eggs regularly  does not seem to significantly raise serum (blood) cholesterol levels in the body. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Eggs, Entree, Gluten Free, Meat, Snack

Curry Roasted Chickpeas

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These are so simple that they do not even really need a recipe. Chickpeas are an inexpensive source of protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber, making them very filling. I like to eat these plain but they are nice when sprinkled on salads too. Coconut oil is very good to use for roasting because it has a high smoke point, meaning that it stays intact at higher heats than most oils. When an oil hits its smoke point it changes on a molecular level and becomes oxidized, making it potentially damaging to our cells (what antioxidants protect us from). Continue Reading →

Posted in: Appetizer, Gluten Free, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Comforting Rice Pudding

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Choosing brown rice over white rice makes a huge difference in the nutrients of the meal. Generally, brown rice has over twice as much iron, magnesium and B vitamins. Rice pudding can be eaten cold, the more traditional way, or warm like porridge. This version has only natural sweeteners from the fruit and palm sugar and almond milk instead of cream to make it much lighter. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Ayurvedic, Breakfast, Gluten Free, Grains, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spiced Chocolate Covered Dates

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My old coworkes loved these so much that they equated them to a love potion in food form and nicknamed them “dates for dates”. They joked that they were so good that if you gifted some to a date they would fall instantly love with you. I didn’t make this recipe up, my friend Dubravka taught me how to make them and I think they have Middle Eastern origins. They are surprisingly filling and are the perfect couple bites for any sweet or chocolate cravings. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Dessert, Gluten Free, Paleo, Snack, Vegetarian