A little healthy indulgence

Sometimes, a girl just needs a little chocolate. 

My sweet tooth doesn't actually kick in that often. I am more often found indulging in a piece of cheese with some salted rice crackers instead of digging into a candy jar. However, sometimes in the middle of the afternoon or perhaps, after dinner, I just want "something". I created this ultra-simple raw chocolate recipe so I could have something delicious that I could really feel good about eating. A treat that didn't require a trip to the store; just a few minutes and a few ingredients that I usually have on hand.

Raw Superfood Crunch Chocolate

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil (I like Organic Lives because they are a local company!)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (I used Navitas Naturals)
2 tbsp of Nature's Path Cranberry Vanilla Qia (or use your favourite superfood - chia, hemp,      dried berries etc)
1-2 tbsp maple syrup to taste (okay...not for the raw food purist!)

cacao powder  plus 1/4 tsp cinnamon for dusting

Place raw cacao, Qia and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Gently warm coconut oil in a saucepan until just liquid and stir into cacao mixture until well blended. Place bowl in the fridge until firm enough to form chocolates, about 15-30 minutes. 

Use a cold spoon to scoop out a bit of chocolate and drop onto a chilled plate or quickly roll into a little ball. Work quickly or the heat of your hands will melt the chocolate again! In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon with a bit more cacao powder. Roll chocolates in cacao to dust. Refrigerate chocolates in an airtight container and keep on hand for healthy chocolate cravings! 

PS...I am a spokesperson for the new Qia cereal from Nature's Path. I always said that if I am connected to a product I will maintain transparent communications - no sneaky marketing here! I think it is a truly amazing product...unprocessed, healthy and delicious. I will never share any product with you that I don't eat myself and feel good about recommending. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Eat, Drink and Be Happy...Finding Yoga on Your Plate, Part Two

Food has changed. Once upon a time, we rarely thought much about what we ate; now there is so much context sitting on the end of our fork that it can be almost too heavy to lift. When we sit down to a meal, any number of questions can appear on our plates. Was the food grown close to home, supporting local farmers and putting less fossil fuels into the atmosphere? Were these fish farmed, spreading disease in our oceans? Should we be eating animal foods at all? What about all this GMO corn, is there some in this breakfast cereal? 


As I mentioned in my previous post, there is new meaning to the practice of ahimsa, or non-harming, where our food choices are concerned. How can we nourish our bodies and our spirits without causing undue harm? Here are some of my thoughts...take from them what you will. I hope they will encourage you to think about what it means to you to tread a little more lightly on the planet.


Eat plant-based meals. Whether this means a meatless Monday each week, a few vegetarian meals a week or transitioning to a completely vegan diet; eating fewer animal foods conserves energy and is good for your health. Consider meat as a condiment at any meal: building your meals around whole grains and vegetables, with meat as feature, is more sustainable from both an economical and an environmental sense.


Choose animal foods wisely. Cheese, one of my favourite treats, is also one of the most resource-intensive animal foods because it requires a great deal of milk from a very energy-intensive animal (the cow). If you eat cheese, choose good quality cheese and savour it. Don't simply cover everything you eat in a fake-orange tinted rubbery substance.  


Give your food animals a happier and healthier life. Buy your meat and dairy from organic sources whenever possible and if you can, from farms that raise their animals ethically. In BC, we have the SPCA certification for farms. If you have a good butcher, they will know exactly how that meat came to be in their counter.


Reconsider "superfoods". So many exotic foods sold as super foods can come with a hefty price tag for the buyer, the planet and the grower. In developed nations, our pocketbooks rule and we can outbid local markets for access to staple foods. A good example is quinoa, which has grown so expensive that many local populations that once relied upon the food have been priced out of the market. In addition, all of these foods have to be transported from far away. If they have travelled by boat, the carbon output is light. But if that pineapple or mangosteen is "jet fresh"...When you do choose super foods, buy fair trade whenever possible.


Eat Fair. As I alluded to above, when purchasing foods grown in developing nations, we should be buying fair trade. Those that toil growing our food, particularly in countries far away, are at risk socially and economically; they rarely earn enough money to raise their families. We often think about fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate. What about quinoa, bananas or sugar? Ask your retailer for fair trade foods and vote with your dollar. 


Eat modestly. We overeat. Period. We do harm to our bodies as we disconnect from true hunger and force our body to process the extra food that it doesn't need; we damage our spirit as we use food  as a substitute for something else that is missing in our lives. All of that excess consumption, whether in food or material goods, causes waste and an increased demand for resources which puts undue strain on our environment. Think of the Japanese tenet, "Hara hachi bu." Eat until you are  80% full. There is plenty of food out there. No need to gorge in preparation for hard times.


Eat real food. Food can be medicine or it can be poison. We honour our bodies when we choose simple, wholesome foods that are prepared with love. When we continuously feed ourselves over-processed, nutrient poor foods such as fast foods and junky snack foods we rob our bodies of nutrients and force them to go into detox mode to clean up the mess we just served.


Savour your food. We eat multiple times daily. Each opportunity can be one for happiness and pleasure when we take the time to focus on eating. Don't just scarf down your food in front of your computer screen or television. Take a quiet moment to eat slowly and truly experience your food. This will help put your body into a relaxed state that will encourage proper digestion, reduce mindless overeating and help you appreciate and enjoy what you are eating. Enjoying your meals is one of the simplest ways to add joy to your day. 

Eat...a little love for the super foods

Hi Everyone!


My list of 10 (real food!) super foods has been getting a bit of love this week...here are the links!


I was on CTV Morning Live, with Norma Reid, this morning talking about super foods for weight loss. You can check out the video and my super foods list, here:

Ten superfoods for weight loss | CTV British Columbia

Erin Ireland, master of life-changing banana bread and Vancouver food writer extraordinaire, shared my list here. Do check out her blog...it's to die for :)


10 Super Foods for a Super You in 2012

UnDiet...Week 25

Hello Summer (and UnDieters)!!


I hope you are enjoying the glorious summer sunshine; it has finally graced Vancouver with its presence for 2 consecutive days and I am feeling optimistic that it is here to stay.


So now that summer is here in our Pacific Northwest home, that can only mean one thing...berries. So this week, it is time to celebrate in true UnDiet fashion and commit to eating 1 cup of fresh berries every day. 


Berries are one of the most nutrient dense fruits that nature offers us. Not only are they full of filling fibre and glow restoring antioxidants, their nutrients also help to stave off heart disease, cancer and other chronic disease. Berries are also slow to release their energy, making them a great choice for maintaining stable blood sugars. Did I also mention, they are delicious? Nothing beats the succulent crush of berry juice dribbling down your chin - it is like summer itself. Choose whatever tickles your fancy at the market: strawberries or blueberries, raspberries, cherries or blackberries. Just enjoy a cup full everyday.


What to do with berries? Snack on them instead of something starchy at movie time; swirl them in yogurt for a snack or bake them with an oat topping for a treat. And if you really want to earn bonus points, go find yourself a few flats of berries and either can them or freeze them to enjoy local berries off season. 


Go berry pickin', people!
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 22

Hello UnDieters!

Enjoying summer yet? Warm days have us leaning towards lighter fare and markets are bursting with summer fresh produce. Talk about a match made in heaven: just when the bounty of summer is reaching its peak we stop craving beef stews and start salivating over berries. It is time to take advantage of farm fresh produce and start feasting on fruits and veggies all day long. So this week, I want to challenge you to eat a salad at least twice for your lunch or dinner. Don't just add a side salad to your meal - I want the salad to be the main event. Salads are an amazing way to eat a nutrient dense and low calorie meal and ensure that you get your minimum servings of antioxidant loaded fruits and veggies. Beware, not all salads are created equal: croutons, iceberg and ranch dressing do not a power food make. Follow my five steps to a healthy salad and pick up your favourites at the farmer's market or local grocer. Need more inspiration? Check out some great recipes on the web!

Power Up: 5 Steps to a Nutritious and Filling Salad

1. Punk up your greens. Skip the iceberg and go for greens with attitude. Spinach, baby kale, arugula, mache...whatever you like. Pile on a few big handfuls. They deliver hyper nutritious, practically no calorie filler.

2. Add Super Veggies. The bulk of your salad should be 1 - 11/2 cups of chopped multicoloured veggies. Add whatever floats your boat, from radishes to tomatoes, snap peas to artichoke hearts.

3. Pump up the Protein. Add a full serving of protein with 2 hard boiled eggs, 3/4 cup of beans (a super filling addition thanks to extra fibre) or 3 oz of chicken or fish.

4. Drizzle on the Healthy Oils. Use a tablespoon of a natural salad dressing, preferably made with olive oil or cold pressed canola. The quickest way to dress your salad is 1/2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice with a hit of salt and pepper. If taking the salad for lunch, carry the dressing in a separate container and dress prior to eating so your salad doesn't wilt.

5. Texture. Add crunch and variety with a tablespoon of raw nuts or seeds, from cashews to flax to pumpkin...you'll add nutrients and healthy fats. If you like, add a tablespoon or two of crumbled feta or chevre or try some dried apricots or cranberries!


Enjoy the sun,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 21

Hello UnDieters,

I hope you are enjoying the summer sun. Did you get out to the farmers market today? My friends Heather, Melissa and I visited the Trout Lake market in Vancouver and I can't wait to show you the result of our trip. Hopefully in a week or two...

For today, however, let's talk UnDiet. With all that gorgeous summer produce out there, the same old crackers or pasta just won't cut it. You need a worthy grain to show off next to those heirloom tomatoes. So this week's challenge is to try a new whole grain. While some of us still might view grains as unneccessary carbs, let me differentiate a true whole grain from mere starch.

When research on the health benefits of whole grains started surfacing, manufacturers responded by adding "whole grains" to their products. Across the supermarket, "made with whole grain!" shouted at you from breads, granola bars, cereals and even yogurts. This marketing classic can be very deceptive: made WITH whole grain doesn't mean 100%. There is no guarantee how much whole grain you are getting. Technically, a product can be considered a whole grain if it contains all three parts of the original grain: the endosperm, the germ and the bran.Looking for a food made from 100% whole grains is a step in the right direction; however, eating intact whole grains is not the same as eating sugary cereals, aka candy, with added fibre.  However, you can then pulverize, gelatinize and puff up and sweeten the grain however you want to and still sell yourself as whole grain goodness. But whole grain Ritz crackers are not the same as cooking up some barley.

Intact, unprocessed whole grains are slowly digested, providing sustained energy that won't spike blood sugars. They are rich in minerals and vitamins and contain antioxidant phytochemicals. They also provide protein and fibre to help you feel satisfied. Most crackers, granola bars and pasta just spike your blood sugar and leave you hungry. Intact, unprocessed whole grains are a true superfood that are well worth the calories. They are also economical, great for any healthy eater on a budget.

For this week, go to your bulk bins or grains aisle and choose something you haven't cooked with before. Try barley as a base for risotto, black rice for a rich twist on traditional sushi, buckwheat toasted in a salad, amaranth sprinkled over berries and yogurt or even teff baked into a homemade granola bar. Teff??? Oh yes, get ready to be surprised by how many whole grains are out there that you haven't heard of before. Many grains cook up just like rice, but not all, so check out this cooking chart from dietitian Leslie Beck's website for water proportions and cooking time.

Note! Couscous is not a grain...it is a pasta. Ditto orzo. And buckwheat is not wheat.

I would love to hear how you used your grains this week....enjoy!
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 14

Lovely photo courtesy of my friend Melissa, The Bounty Hunter

Hello UnDieters!


It is time to introduce you to one of my favourite things...kale! Don't turn your nose up at me. Kale is good for you. 


Uh oh, did I just sound like my mother?


But kale IS good for you. And it is incredibly tasty too. Greens are really the mother of all vegetables. If I had to exist on only one vegetable (which isn't really a good idea but if I was forced to pick just one) I would choose kale. Incredibly high in vitamins A, K and C, kale also boasts folate, omega 3 fatty acids and iron. Not too shabby for a leaf normally relegated to lining the deli case. A true superfood, kale is chock full of antioxidants to help combative oxidative damage and calm inflammation. From flavonoids to lutein to I3C, antioxidants in kale help to support detoxification pathways in the body and combat chronic disease.


The key to kale is finding a way to cook it that you love. Some like to juice it (not for the novice juicer!) or shred it into salads; others to bake it into chips, saute it or toss it into soups. 


This week, get to know kale and eat it at least once. I hope you will like it so much that kale makes it into your weekly grocery list. There are a variety of different kales out there and the farmer's market is the perfect place to select your favourite. If the kale on your grocery store shelves looks moth eaten and tough, move on. You won't like it and you will blame the kale, not poor quality product. 


To help get you inspired, I will be featuring a post from my first guest blogger (drum roll please!!), Melissa Quantz, at www.thebountyhunter.ca . Melissa has created a delicious pasta dish for you which I will post this Sunday. 


Eat your greens,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week Ten

Hello UnDieters....we are into the double digits now! Talk about commitment. Hopefully by now you are starting to feel just a little different. A little more regular and a little less bloated. Perhaps there is a bit more energy coursing through your system. It is time to continue supercharging your body with nutrition and start incorporating more nutrient dense power foods into your life.

Let's start tackling seeds. We talk all the time about the health benefits of nuts but seeds are largely forgotten. Seeds are filled with heart and skin loving unsaturated fats, vital minerals and fibre (yes, more fibre...get used to it!). They are the total package. For our first week of seeds, we are going to try some classics.

Pumpkin seeds boast anti-inflammatory omega 3 ALA and plenty of relaxing magnesium. A natural source of plant sterols for your heart, pumpkin seeds are also rich in immune boosting zinc. Sunflower seeds contain a synergistic blend of vitamin E and selenium in addition to more sterols and magnesium.

For this week, buy either sunflower or pumpkin seeds (or both if you're keen!) and add a couple of tablespoons to a meal or snack a few times this week. Add your seeds to trail mixes, granola or cereal. You can sprinkle them on salads or even over pasta for some crunch. Snack on them on their own or try them stirred into yogurt. Ensure you buy raw, unsalted seeds and store them in the refrigerator to preserve their quality. If they start to smell like paint thinner, it is time to toss them.

To your health,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week Seven

Oh boy, am I ready for spring. The endless stream of root veggies, apples and pears, while lovely, are beginning to grow tired. I am ready for fresh green things. That being said, we still have to find a way to eat well until the weather warms and if we can do it in a sustainable way, all the better.


So this week, it is time for a major antioxidant boost in the form of blueberries. Yes, there are "fresh" blueberries showing up from the southern hemisphere these days but I would urge you to go for frozen blueberries instead. I often get asked if frozen is as healthy as fresh and in situations like these, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!". 


Picking fruits and vegetables at the peak of their ripeness also provides nutrients at their peak. When produce is grown far away, it must be picked earlier so that it can withstand the long journey, potentially stunting its nutrient content. In addition, many nutrients, such as vitamin C are incredibly delicate and start to degrade quickly after the produce is picked. So in the winter, when local options don't exist frozen produce can be a very nutritious option.


So starting this week, pick up a big bag of frozen blueberries (bonus points if they are locally grown!) and eat at least a 1/2 cup a day. Look for a product that is unsweetened and give the bag a squeeze: the blueberries should still be individually frozen, not frozen together in clumps which indicates that they have thawed and refrozen at least once. Frozen blueberries are perfect added directly to smoothies and baking. If you want to eat them as a snack, simply keep a small amount in the fridge thawed so they are ready to top cereal, yogurt or even throw them in a salad.


Blueberries are a true superfood. Low in calories but packed with vital nutrition, blueberries are a fruit that will not raise blood sugars substantially making them a good choice for managing weight. Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, including anthocyanins, which help to protect the heart and entire circulatory system. The antioxidants in blueberries, including vitamin C, also contribute to healthy skin while decreasing inflammation, another indirect cause of skin concerns and premature aging. Some research has even pointed to the power of daily blueberries to protect your brain against cognitive decline. Wait...what was that last sentence? Can't remember? You need to eat more blueberries!


Cheers,
Desiree

Eat...healthier muffins

Baked goods, especially the kind that you find in cafes and most supermarkets, are nutritional wolves in sheep's clothing: loaded with trans fats, hyperprocessed carbohydrates and way too much sugar. The average commercially baked muffin can top 400 calories and 20 grams of fat so next time you find yourself looking for a treat? Skip the muffin...if you are going to spend the calories anyways, you might as well have that donut or cookie!


But before you give them up entirely, muffins can be a super healthy and convenient snack or breakfast food when you make them yourself from wholesome ingredients. Muffins are so quick and easy to make...even for a novice baker. In less than an hour, you can have a fresh stock of on-the-go snacks (put half the batch in the freezer for later!).  Friday night I tried this Banana Muffin recipe created by Ann Barnes, author of Be a Better Being and co-owner of the company Mum's Original Hemp. Since the recipe wasn't featured on their website, I asked to share it on mine! 


If you like the recipe, Ann has lots of great recipes using hemp and Salba on her own site.


What makes these so healthy? First things first, by making 24 muffins you will be making muffins of an appropriate serving size...avoiding the giant carbo-load of cafe muffins. This recipe also uses whole wheat flour, higher in fibre and nutrients than white flour. Using bananas and yogurt allows for less fat in the recipe, while retaining an exceptionally moist texture. Finally, the start of the show is hemp hearts, loaded with anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids and plant based protein. Hope you love the recipe!


Recipe


Mum's Banana Muffins
(shared with permission)


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose whole wheat flour
11/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Mum's Original Organic Hemp Hearts


Method


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly butter 2 muffin tins and set them aside.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
3. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they remain slightly lumpy.
4. In another bowl, whip last 2 bananas with sugar for 3 minutes with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
5. Add the melted butter, eggs, yogurt and vanilla to the banana sugar mixture and beat well, scraping sides of bowl once or twice.
6. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just incorporated taking care not to overmix (15-20 strokes is a good rule of thumb!).
7. Fold in hemp hearts and mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.
8. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling halfway and rap tins on counter to remove air bubbles.
9. Sprinkle a few hemp hearts on top of muffins before baking 18 to 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly before removing muffins from tins to cool completely.


Desiree's tip: if you like ginger, I added 1/2 cup of chopped crystallized ginger with the hemp hearts and banana! Chopped walnut would also be amazing...if you come up with any other additions that work well - please share!


In good health, 
Desiree