My daughter LOVES baking and cooking with me. This weekend we were gardening and she would pick up a handful of dirt and shout "me roll dough"! So last night before bed I told her we could make blueberry pancakes for breakfast! She has a remarkable memory for a not quite three year old as she will wake up asking for what I told her we could do the night before- "Lily Mommy Boo-berry Pancakes." We are extremely fortunate to live in Waterloo where we are surrounded by local farms and produce- local maple syrup, fresh local eggs, local organic meat, fruits and vegetables- all at our finger tips! This recipe is another example of how to take a basic recipe and change it into a gluten, dairy free option! The original recipe called for wheat flour, buttermilk and butter, all of which have been replaced! Blueberry Pancakes 2 eggs 2 cups oat flour 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 cups coconut milk (or almond or other non-dairy milk) 4 tbsp melted coconut oil 1 container blueberries Beat the eggs until frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients (aside from blueberries) and stir until just blended. Add in the blueberries and mix. Cook in a heated pan over medium-high heat. A note about using dairy free milk, I find I like using coconut milk (from a can) the best. If you let the batter sit for a few minutes before cooking, it tends to thicken up and results in thicker, fluffier pancakes. I find when using almond milk or a thinner milk, the pancakes are very thin and flat, though still very tasty! Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.
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Today is two weeks of clean eating- gluten, dairy and refined sugar free (with the exception of my Mother's Day cheat)! So, I made a recipe that I have been eyeing for a few weeks now from Elana's Pantry- Chocolate Mousse. Oh. My. Word. These little pots of mousse are AMAZING. They are rich, delicious and decadent! Chocolate Mousse by Elana Amsterdam ¼ cup water ¼ cup coconut sugar 1 cup chocolate chunks (I used chips) 4 eggs, separated ½ cup coconut cream from coconut milk In a medium pot, heat water to boiling. Reduce heat, stir in coconut sugar until dissolved. Remove pan from stove and cool coconut sugar mixture for 8 minutes, add chocolate, stirring until melted. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until pale yellow. In another medium bowl beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir egg yolks into chocolate mixture (in the pot), then stir egg whites into chocolate-yolk mixture until well combined, then stir in coconut cream. Spoon mousse into jars, place in refrigerator overnight to set. Enjoy! As a side note, most of the coconut cream recipes call for you to take a can of coconut milk, put it in the fridge and then open and take the thickened layer of coconut 'cream' from the top. However, the other day at Freshco (great ethnic food section) I found canned coconut cream! This can be used to make whipped coconut cream or anything that calls for coconut cream! So now that the detox is finished, how will our diets change? In general, we don't completely avoid anything but we limit gluten and dairy. We rarely have bread in the house, though during the summer and bbq season you will find hamburger buns. When it comes to dairy, we aren't a milk drinking family (only almond or coconut milk) though we do splurge with goat feta and the occasional ice cream. Again, for us the main reason to do a detox is to 'reset' our diet. So though we don't completely avoid anything, we highly limit! However, having great recipes and resources makes it much easier and so you don't feel like you are deprived in any way! Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. Today was a day of left overs since our fridge is overflowing! So, this will be a rather quick post! We simply added a side of baked kale chips and grilled peppers and mushrooms to some of the left over pesto pasta and we had one delicious meal! Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.
Today for dinner we had Red Lentil Dal, a pretty simple, delicious recipe. This again, is from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre. This recipe makes a rather large portion so it's great to make if you are looking for a meal that gives ample left overs for lunches and dinners. Red Lentil Dal 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (I couldn't find these so I use brown) 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (again, couldn't find these so I use ground) 1 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 2 large carrots, peeled and diced 3 medium red potatoes, cubed 2 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained 6 cups water 1 can coconut milk 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes 2 tsp sea salt or Herbamare In a large pot heat coconut oil over medium heat, then add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Saute until they begin to pop, quickly add onions and garlic and saute until soft about 5 min. Add turmeric, ground cumin, cayenne, carrots, and potatoes, saute a few minutes more. Add red lentils, water, coconut milk and diced tomatoes. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then let simmer, covered, for about 45 min. Add salt to taste and serve. I actually think this meal tastes even better the next day! If you haven't decided yet, this cookbook, The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, is a kitchen staple! Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. Today's meal was another featuring veggies and grilled chicken- Marinated chicken, baked kale chips and baked sweet potato fries. This was another homemade marinade my husband threw together, so instead I will touch on the two sides. Sweet Potato Fries Simply chop sweet potatoes into the size you'd like and toss in olive oil. We always add a cajun seasoning mix to them but any seasoning can be added- from salt and pepper to a sweeter cinnamon and honey. Bake for about 20 min in a 400F oven, tossing half way through. Cooking times will vary depending on how large the potato pieces are. Kale Chips These are so good my husband and I actually sometimes fight over them. Wash kale leaves and rip into bite sized pieces discarding the hard stalks. Toss lightly in olive oil- I will actually use my hands to mix the kale with the oil so that it's all lightly coated and you can use less oil. Spread on a baking sheet. It's important to not crowd the kale as this will leave you with 'soggy' chips vs crispy. Sprinkle with any seasoning you'd like, we favour just sea salt but there are many other options, nutritional yeast will give a 'cheesy' flavour. Baking temps will vary and we tend to just use whatever temperature we have the oven set to- between 350 and 400F works best. It's important to keep an eye on the kale as it will cook quickly and can burn, tossing often helps to ensure non soggy kale as well. It will usually take about 10 minutes for the kale to crisp up. These are two of our favourite sides and so quick and easy to toss together! Our toddler polished off everything on her plate at this meal!
Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. Today's lunch/dinner was a very green meal- Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli and Spinach Salad. We used a pesto made by Sunflower Kitchens. Sunflower Kitchens is one of my favourite brands- they also make an amazing line of different flavours of hummus! Knowing healthy different products and brands can make eating well much easier. This meal was more about 'assembling' than cooking: brown rice pasta, sauteed broccoli and chicken mixed with pesto. The spinach salad was one of my favourite, no fuss salads: spinach, cremini mushrooms, red wine vinegar and olive oil. This is a great meal for the nights where you just don't feel like cooking or are in a hurry!
Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. This is a recipe I've posted before but is detox friendly and delicious- chocolate chip muffins. This is another recipe where, after making a few substitutions, is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free. A big take home message about all these recipes is that, just because you are avoiding gluten/dairy/sugar, doesn't mean you have to give up your favourite recipes or foods, by finding and understanding how to make simple substitutions you can adjust your recipes to give you 'healthier' versions! I also like to add ground flaxseeds, hemp hearts and chia seeds to anything I can! Chocolate Chip Muffins 1 cup oat flour (you can use any gluten free flour you'd like, I just find oat an easy sub) 3/4 cup rolled oats (oat bran is what's called for, but I was out) 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds 1/4 cup hemp hearts 1/3 cup sweetener- honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, unsweetened apple sauce etc. 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I usually add more than this) 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 1/4 cup almond milk 1/2 cup chocolate chips Preheat oven to 400F. Mix dry ingredients together (if using dry sweetener like coconut sugar mix this in here). Mix wet ingredients together (if using wet sweetener like honey or maple syrup mix in here). Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stir just until moistened, then mix in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups and bake for 16-20 min. Enjoy! And these, like all my recipes, are very toddler approved! Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations.
Today's dinner was more grilled chicken and veggies. I think I could eat this meal every day it's so delicious. Today's marinade was homemade- Southwest Marinade and found in the Weber's Way to Grill book. Paired with some grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms and corn on the cob made for a delicious dinner. Southwest Marinade 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp minced garlic 2 tsp chile powder 1 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. Today was Mother's Day and I let my family make me breakfast which included belgian waffles- both gluten and dairy filled, and I felt the effects after. It's one of the reasons I keep gluten to a minimum in general- the headache, run down feeling, upset stomach- it's a big motivator for my spring and fall detoxes. So although today was a 'cheat' day, I am going to share a delicious gluten/dairy free brownie recipe. This recipe is not only gluten free it's actually completely grain free! This recipe is from Elana's Pantry. The original recipe uses sunbutter (Sunflower Seed Butter) to make these nut-free as well, which makes it an acceptable recipe for school teachers too! However, since my family and I don't have issues with nuts and I always have almond butter on hand but not sunbutter, I sub in almond butter. Grain Free Brownies from Elana's Pantry 1/2 cup almond butter 3 eggs 1/2 cup maple syrup 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup cacao powder 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup chocolate chips Combine almond butter, eggs and maple syrup in a food processor. Pulse in vanilla, vinegar, cacao, sea salt and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips. Transfer to an 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350F for 15-20min. Cool for 1 hour. These brownies are delicious! I like to add some chopped walnuts to the top before baking to add a bit of crunch! Be careful with baking as these can over cook and become dry quickly, I tend to under cook them a bit and they are fabulous! Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. Today was a left over day- finishing off lentil soup, korma and quinoa-lentil salad. So instead of sharing a lunch/dinner meal, I am going to share the protein shake I have for breakfast every day. I mix it in the Magic Bullet cup every day, so I use the cup for measurements, but I will give an estimate of amounts. Raspberry Protein Shake 1/2 cup frozen raspberries 1 cup water 1 scoop VegaLite Protein Powder 1 tbsp chia seeds 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds 1 tbsp coconut oil Splash of orange juice I will also throw in a handful of fresh spinach when I have it on hand. Protein shakes are very flexible, so if you don't like raspberries, you can use blueberries or peaches or strawberries. There are also many different flavour combinations on the internet, so you can get creative. This is also very toddler/child friendly- my daughter asks for some 'hot pink protein shake' every morning! Disclaimer: Naturopathic Doctors strive to provide individualized health care. The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing an ND for individualized health recommendations. |
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