These muffins are quick and easy to prepare and clean up. All the ingredients go into a blender to create a smooth batter then the cherries get folded in and it all goes straight into lined muffin tins. The trick is just to work quickly and then get it into the oven right away, if left out for too long the batter can get too thick. The muffins are not too sweet so a bit of butter and cherry jam can make them more decadent. Continue Reading →
Sourdough with Marscapone and Honeycomb
A simple, healthy piece of bread can be transformed into a treat with some creamy marscapone and sweet honeycomb. Any kind of whole grain bread is going to be a nutritious choice but it is extra beneficial if the grains are sprouted or if the loaf is a sourdough one. Both of these types have an extra step in the processing that makes the bread easier for us to digest. Continue Reading →
Orange Asparagus Wheat Berry Salad
Eating in the summer is easy- the focus is on lots of hydrating smoothies, fruits and salads, plus some BBQ here and there to weigh the lighter options down a bit. In the fall, it gets a little heavier still and there is (ideally) pumpkin in everything. The winter is all about comfort food- thick stews and chilis, roasted meats and root vegetables, porridge and hearty breads. But what about spring? For the earth it is a time of renewal and if we eat with the seasons, as we should as much as possible, it is a season of renewal for us too. It is the best time of year to detoxify our bodies. That doesn’t mean going on cleanses or restrictive diets, it means eating more foods that support our bodies’ natural detoxification process. Continue Reading →
Bruschetta Endive Boats
Endive leaves are the perfect shape for one- or two-bite appetizers, they are like edible spoons that can be filled with whatever your heart desires. I topped these with a quick bruschetta mixture for a colourful and easy option. To make it even faster, some chopped tomato can be tossed in an already prepared pesto sauce or a fresh salsa from the deli can be used. Continue Reading →
Mini Bites Greek Salad
Since I like my salads to last for a few days I’ve been experimenting on different ways to make them stay as fresh as possible. I find that smaller cucumbers and tomatoes like this tend to stay more intact because they are still encased in their skins even when chopped, versus larger versions that get diced and have more exposed surface areas. Continue Reading →
Cruciferous Carrot Salad
Nutritional findings can be very conflicting and confusing and if you’re trying to eat healthier it can get a bit disheartening. Very simply, the most universal rule is to just eat a variety of foods, especially plant foods, in as close to their natural state as possible. Do this as often as possible, and you will probably be doing quite well. Salads with a range of different, colourful raw vegetables can be a great source of nutrients that can be eaten on their own or as a supplement to your regular meals. Continue Reading →
Hummus Avocado Potato Bites
These are a simple appetizer, side dish or snack based loosely on potato skins. They feature small potatoes with thin skins so the flesh doesn’t need to be removed, they are a good finger food size already. This makes them easier to prepare, plus their toppings make for a much healthier option that still has lots of flavour and feels like comfort food. Continue Reading →
Strawberry Mango Chia Pudding with Kiwi Berries
Chia pudding can be flavoured as simply or as intricately as desired. This is a really simple version that just utilizes fruit and a bit of unsweetened vanilla cashew milk to take chia seeds and plump them up into a flavourful, vibrant pudding. Here I used frozen strawberries and mango defrosted and blended with the milk. I like to use frozen fruit, especially this time of year when fruit isn’t really in season because the frozen option should have been picked and immediately frozen at its peak of ripeness. Therefore it is at its highest in nutrient content, which is preserved through the freezing, as well as at its most flavourful. Plus, I find that unthawed frozen fruit is often a little sweeter than in its completely fresh, unadulterated form. Maximum flavour and sweetness means that we don’t have to add in refined sugars to have a sweet, enjoyable treat. Continue Reading →
Eggs in a Yam Nest
Spiralizing root vegetables is a way to make a slightly different shaped base for egg hash. A spiralizer makes even, thin pieces that cook quickly and uniformly. Here I used yams because of their lightly sweet flavour and smooth, dense texture. Here in Canada we generally call the orange ones yams and the white or cream coloured ones sweet potatoes, but in the US it is the other way around- a great cause of confusion. Continue Reading →
Rose Chia Pudding Parfait
Chia pudding itself can take on a multitude of different ingredients to create a range of flavours, or a simple version can become part of a parfait. Here I used some Middle Eastern ingredients- rose water, dates and almonds along with some other ingredients I had around- hazelnuts, strawberries and cherries. Adding in these additional items makes the pudding into a very filling meal, with several extra nutrients. It’s the kind of thing that can be really helpful after a tough workout because it has lots of sugars from the fruit for a fast energy replenish but the fiber, healthy fats and protein also offer a more sustained energy. This way you don’t get the slump that you would with something more sugary and less nutritious like commercial cereal or baked items. Continue Reading →