Must Try Recipe – The Healthy Chef: Teresa Cutter’s Chocolate Protein Power Balls

Just found this great recipe by Teresa Cutter of the Healthy Chef: www.thehealthychef.com that is sure to bring a smile to your day (hello, chocolate!!) as well as give you a quick boost of energy. It is also gluten-free!

Ingredients:

330 g raw whole almonds
60g  protein powder – [Teresa] used a natural unflavoured WPI but any good quality protein powder will be OK (whey, hemp, pea, rice are all good and work well in [her] recipe)
16 fresh dates, pitted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground  cinnamon
coconut for rolling

Throw almonds into the food processor with cinnamon, protein powder and cocoa then process until the mix looks crumbly.
Add dates, vanilla extract then process again until the mix starts to come together.
Add a splash of water if you need to so that mixture is soft and forms a soft ball.
Form into 14 decent sized balls.
Roll in coconut and store in the fridge until you feel like a snack or quick meal on the run.
Store in the fridge for upto 4 weeks if they last that long.

 Nutrition per cookie: makes 14 total

Protein: 8.2  g protein
Carbs: 7.6  g
Fat: 12 g
kilojoules: 703
Calories: 168

For more information on this recipe, visit the Healthy Chef here:

http://www.thehealthychef.com/2011/09/protein-fudge-cookies/

Gong Gong’s Tofu Shrimp Surprise

I have been thinking a lot about my father lately. It is coming up on the third anniversary since he passed away. I still miss him and remember the things he used to repeat to us countless times (at the time we would roll our eyes of course, but now I am so thankful that he repeated the things he felt were important for us to remember).

My father’s way of showing how much he loved his daughters was by providing for us…often in the form of meal preparation.

One of his favorite dishes to make was tofu shrimp. I recently made this and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to prepare. It was of course a very sentimental meal to create, yet I felt so comforted once again hearing my father’s instructions on how to prepare the meal coming out loud and strong, after having them tucked and filed away for so long in the deeper parts of my subconscious mind.

Tofu Shrimp Surprise (serves 2-3 people)

Ingredients:

- 1 block of medium firm/ extra firm tofu (approx. 500 g)
- 10 fresh or defrosted large sized shrimp
- 3-5 tbsp of sesame oil
- 3-5 tbsp of tamari or soy sauce
- 1 cup cooked quinoa/ brown or white rice
- 1 green onion
- 1 clove garlic
- lightly steamed vegetable of your choice (e.g. baby bok choy, yu choy, asparagus, broccoli, kale)

Directions:

-Cook quinoa or rice in 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa/ rice. Once combined, bring pot to a rolling boil on high heat then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.
- preheat oven to 375 degrees Farhenheit.
- slice tofu into 1 inch pieces and place flat in oven safe dish.
- add 1 fresh shrimp to the top of each slice of tofu.
- pour sesame oil and soy sauce on top
- bake in oven for 30 minutes.
- lightly steam vegetables
- Optional: fry quinoa or rice with green onion and garlic.

International May Day Celebrations Renewed

Well here we are. May 1st. Some exciting things are happening this month! While typically here in Canada we think of Mother’s Day and Victoria Day celebrations as the highlights of May, it seems that there has been a resurgence in the popularity of celebrating the very first day of this bright and cheerful month all over the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day

May Blossoms from the May tree. Photo Credit: ceridwen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_of_the_May,_in_June_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1346819.jpg

May Day, also known as the Gaelic festival of Beltane (May 1st) and the German Walpurgis Night http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night (which is celebrated on the night of April 30 – and leads into May 1st),  is  typically observed in areas such as England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, France, and even Hawaii (where it is more commonly referred to as “Lei Day”).

Historically, May 1st was considered the first day of summer in some pre-Christian pagan cultures.  This day was celebrated in pre-Christian times as the festival of Flora in honour of the Roman Goddess of Flowers. Following the conversion of Europe to Christianity, many pagan celebrations were either dropped or given religious undertones. In Roman Catholic cultures, May is considered Mary’s month and May Day is usually celebrated as a tribute to the Virgin Mary. Flowers are used to adorn her head in a May Crowning represented in works of art such as plays, sculptures and figure drawings. 

For many other people, May Day is recognized as a secular tradition where spring and fertility is celebrated with events such as dancing around a Maypole decorated with colourful ribbons, and the crowning of the May Queen.  

Maypole in Munich, Germany http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Viktualienmarkt_Maibaum_Nahaufnahme_1999.jpg

Queen Guinevre’s ‘Maying’ by John Collier. Photo credit: Andreas Praefke http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Collier_Queen_Guinevre%27s_Maying.jpg

If you are looking to make your own May Pole check out this amazing blog on spring festival celebrations and Maypole ideas at Kleas: http://kleas.typepad.com/kleas/2011/05/spring-festival.html

DIY Maypoles with dyed silk ribbons. Photo credit: http://kleas.typepad.com/kleas/2011/05/spring-festival.html

Here are a few other great sites to visit for creating a Maypole and celebrating May Day with your children:

Maypole with Beads. Photo credit: www.gardeners.com

Maypole Nature Table. Photo credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com

Fresh flowers and Ribbon Maypole. Photo credit: http://stillraisingthenextgeneration.com

Stone-tipped Fairy Ribbon Wands. Photo credit: http://paintcutpaste.com

A sweet tradition in the past (that is likely to gain new momentum) was to prepare May Day baskets filled with flowers or treats, and to leave them anonymously on the front door steps of a neighbour or friend. For tips on how to make your own May Day basket, visit Ben Partridge’s excellent post on The May Day Basket Refresher at Apartment Therapy at http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/may-day-basket-refresher-how-t-118478

May Day Baskets. Photo credit: Ben Partridge http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/may-day-basket-refresher-how-t-118478

May 1st is also International Workers’ Day  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers%27_Day which was officially recognized in 1891 and celebrates the International Labour Movements and marks the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago and the subsequent 1894 May Day Riots in Cleveland, Ohio when people rioted against the ineffectual measures the city officials carried out to reduce the skyrocketing rates of unemployment at the time. While this day is officially reconized elsewhere, here in Canada and the United States, Labour Day is recognized on September 1st (a move that was favoured by the then governor of Ohio so as not to commemorate the riots).

Currently, there is a resurgence in the United States and elsewhere to celebrate this infamous day in the context of supporting the 99% of the population who are not as well off as the remaining 1%. This planned day of protest is fuelled by the Occupy Wall Street (and other Occupy movements around the world) .

So what will we be doing this May 1st? Since I’ll be at home with the girls, we will be celebrating this special day as a tribute to spring and all its glory. My litle ladies love dressing up in their most desirable princess gowns and dancing around the living room or out in the front yard. So we will likely be doing some dancing (as per usual!) Not sure if we’ll have a little May Pole set up to dance around…although we could make a makeshift May Pole using our beautiful white hobby horse which would also double as a perfect companion to my two lovely little May Queens.

And perhaps a flower garland for their hair, or pansy flowers pressed into shortbread cookies in a basket would be a welcome activity to add to our day.

For a great shortbread recipe with pressed flowers to celebrate spring, here’s a great article on Stonegable: http://stonegable.blogspot.ca/2010/05/pansy-shortbread-cookies.html

Pansy shortbread cookies. Photo credit: http://stonegable.blogspot.com

Here’s to a very Happy May Day and a great start to your month! What does the month of May mean to you? Will you do anything special this May Day? Please share your thoughts.

Spring Cleaning with Fennel, Zucchini, and Black Olive Penne

Now that spring has officially arrived, a little home spring cleaning is just what our family needs. And what better way to support that than a healthy vegetarian dish that highlights the delightfully flavorful, fennel (see image below to appreciate it in its full glory).

Photo credit: http://www.lesliebeck.com/images/featured_foods/fennel_300.jpg

The wonderful recipe that featured my large fennel plant that our friendly Front Door Organics Delivery Service (http://www.frontdoororganics.com/) provided along with our local fresh fruits and vegetables last week, was for Fennel, Zucchini, and Black Olive Penne. Below is this relatively simple yet delicious recipe for your perusal from Front Door Organics (http://www.frontdoororganics.com/):

Ingredients:

-1 bulb fennel

-2 cloves garlic

-10 black Kalamata olives

-lemon juice

-shaved parmesan or garnish

-1 zucchini

-2 cups dried penne

-4 tbsp olive oil

-salt and pepper

-1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

Trim the fennel base and tops, cut in half lengthways and then in quarters lengthways. Cut the zucchini in quarters, lengthways also. Use a tablespoon of oil to coat, set on a baking sheet and roast at 400F for about 20 minutes, until softened and starting to turn brown.

Meanwhile remove pits romt he olives and roughly chop. Mince the garlic well and bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. In a large pan, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil over low heat and gently cook the garlic, remove from heat when it starts to colour.

Cook the pasta to al dente and when the fennel and zucchini have roasted, remove from the oven, all to cool slightly and then roughly chop.

Add the chopped zucchini and fennel to the pan with the garlic, heat over medium and add the olives and drained pasta. Combine with a tablespoon of oil, chopped parsley, a little pasa water, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and black pepper. Serve topped with shaved Parmesan.

Note: This meal was a light and delightful dinner for two. For those with gluten sensitivities, replace whole wheat penne with a  gluten free product such as brown rice penne. The leftovers for next day’s lunch supercharged our day as we attempted to purge, purge, purge and clean our lives into simplified beauty and order.  More on this in my next post!

St. Paddy’s Feast: Vegan Sliders and Fries

St. Paddy’s Feast: Vegan Sliders and Fries.

A somewhat healthy option to celebrate St. Paddy’s day courtesy of Yoga Journal. Have a great weekend everyone!

Flying Shrimp Pad Thai

The other day we had a dear old friend come by for a visit. As my prep time for cooking is limited these days with two young ones always on the go, I briefly entertained the idea of ordering in from our favorite Thai restaurant: http://www.goldenthai.ca

However, looking in my fridge, I saw that we had an exceptional amount of cilantro left over from our Front Door Organics delivery http://www.frontdoororganics.org

So, to task I went. The small amount of effort it took to buy a few extra staples was relatively painless and the minimal prep time and results made this a definite culinary success.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious dish:

Ingredients (serves 2-3 people):

1 whole package of flat rice noodles
1 whole package of fresh or frozen wild caught “flying”/regular shrimp
1 slightly under-ripe, green mango

1 cup of bean sprouts

1/2 package of firm tofu
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1/4 cup of peanuts/cashews
3-5 tbsp of fish sauce
3-5 tbsp of thai chili sauce
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 sprigs of cilantro
2-3 lemon wedges

Directions:

Boil pot of water. Turn off element.
Soak rice noodles in boiled water for 3-5 minutes until softened. Rinse noodles and set aside.

Turn element on to high setting, add olive oil once pan is very hot. Turn heat down to medium setting, and add garlic and onions. Stir fry for approximately 3-5 minutes until onions are slightly golden in colour. Add fresh or defrosted flying shrimp and diced tofu to pan and stir fry for an additional 8-10 minutes until shrimp is a nice pinkish colour all around and has been cooked through. Add rice noodles, then fish and chili sauce and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Transfer dish onto plates. Add thinly sliced red peppers, as well as finely chopped peanuts or cashews, and finish with a few sprigs of cilantro on top. Place large but thin slices of mango, bean sprouts, and a lemon wedge on the side.

Serve meal with a cool refreshing beverage such as sparkling lime cordial, some jazzy dinner music, and light up the night with some natural beeswax candles and your own effervescent self. Happy entertaining!

Splendid Vegetarian Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti and Baked Salmon Filets

Looking for a tasty and easy meal for your next dinner date at home? Here is my version of a delicious Italian-style spaghetti dish.

For maximum health and environmental benefits, choose local, organic vegetables whenever possible. The makings of a delicious dinner for two are as follows:

Ingredients:

1 tomato
1/2 jar of tomato sauce
1/2 green pepper
1/2 zucchini
1/2 cup of white button mushrooms
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup of seedless kalamata olives
2 slices of lemon
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp of fresh basil
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt
Dash of pepper
Whole wheat spaghetti or rice noodles
Fresh wild salmon filets

Directions:

Chop/dice all vegetables. Meanwhile, boil a medium pot of water. Once water comes to a rolling boil, add rice or wheat noodles and cook until al dente, approximately 12-15 minutes.

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place salmon filets in dish with balsamic vinegar and bake in oven for approximately 30-35 minutes.

Turn on stove to high heat and add olive oil to frying pan. When oil is hot, add diced garlic and onion. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes until onions are slightly golden. Turn heat down to medium setting and add all other ingredients. Stir occasionally for approximately 8-10 minutes. Add tomato sauce. Stir for another 2-5 minutes until all ingredients are blended and sauce is hot.

Remove salmon filets from oven and add lemon slice on top as garnish.

Fantastico! Dinner is ready to enjoy. Serve with your favorite beverage, sparkling water or white wine, some Italian music and your best Italian accent.

Note: You may substitute the salmon for another protein such as tempeh, tofu or shrimp. For gluten-free noodles you can use rice noodles in place of wheat noodles.

Best Ever Paleo Fudgie Brownies for Your Favourite Woman

Photo credit and recipe courtesy of http://www.health-bent.com/treats/paleo-fudgy-brownies

It’s International Women’s Day! Let’s celebrate with a toast to all the fabulous women in our lives and all the people who support them. The perfect way? Why not with a yummy, delicious treat? May I suggest some delicious (and somewhat nutritious), homemade paleo-fudge brownies? I know, I know… this coming on the heels of my previous post on healthy bland food options for longevity and good health! But I think most women in your lives would approve whole heartedly. Mmmm….

Enjoy! And have a beautiful day.

Paleo Fudgie Brownies

From http://health-bent.com:

[...]Besides the fact that these are completely gluten free; you could leave out the sugar in the brownies and be almost 100% Paleo. Try and find chocolate chips with the highest percentage of cocoa. The higher the percentage the less sugar in the chocolate. If you can’t find a good quality chocolate chip, you could always chop up a chocolate bar instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 c almond butter
• 1/2 c canned coconut milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/3 c cocoa powder
• 1/4 c sugar (optional or sweetener of choice)
• 1/3 c chocolate chips (use the highest % cocoa you can find, around 70% is good)
• 1/3 c chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish.

In a bowl whisk together the almond butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Then add the cocoa powder, sugar,  and chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with chopped nuts.

Bake for approx. 18 minutes.

Note: Consider substituting regular sugar for organic cane sugar or agave syrup, omit nuts if there are any nut allergies.  -Fay Meling

Fruit Rollups

Reblogged from The Copycat Cook:

(Psst - Love desserts? Me too! That’s why I wrote an e-book about how to make them healthy. Take a peek here. Or maybe you'd like to learn how to eat healthy on a budget - check out my tips right over here. PDF versions are available here.)

Did you ever wrap a fruit rollup around your finger as a child, then gnaw away at it until you were left with a sticky, goopy mess?

Read more… 375 more words

Great post by the Copycat Cook on how to make your own fruit roll ups! I will definitely be trying this with the girls shortly. Stay tuned!

Brilliant V+GF Chocolate Chip Blondies (Vegan & Gluten-free)

Photo courtesy of: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Want to make a dessert for your guests that will impress? Tonight? Something gluten-free and vegan that still tastes like a real dessert? Here you go!

Genius Blondies 

(makes 15-20 squares)

Please click on link below to make these amazing desserts!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/