Baby, Eat Your Greens

Xmas lattes

2010-11-21T08:44:00.001-08:00

When the holiday season arrives, no one is more excited than me. Seasonal treats are everywhere and challenge one's dietary willpower.
A certain coffee chain offers delicious holiday drinks which are hard on the pocketbook and the digestive system as they are rich with sugary syrups.
Thanks to an early Christmas gift from an amazing woman named Yvonne, we can indulge in our own artisan lattes thanks to our new nespresso machine. These drinks are cafe-quality and don't require sugar - but one cannot be blamed for wanting to add a sprinkle of cocoa powder or even perhaps a shot of Baileys!
Customized and made with love, this is the perfect way to start a chilly winter morning.

Kale Chips: Easy, Fast, Crunch, Yum!

2010-10-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Look at that brilliant green! I'm an adoring fan of that emerald green seen only on a lovely leaf of kale, but my insides get nervous at the thought of digesting the pretty thing. Lots of chewing required and sometimes it still doesn't get digested properly. But what if we could take the moisture out of the kale, and break down the fibres, and turn it into a crispy yummy snack? Enter the baked kale chip!

Recipe for Baked Kale Chips
- Take 1 head of kale out of the fridge; turn oven on the 300F
- Wash your kale leaves well and dry with a tea towel. Remove them from stems and rip into potato chip sized pieces.
- Take 2 baking trays and line each with a tablespoon of olive oil. Throw the kale on and start to massage the oil into every leaf.
- Now season to your liking. A sprinkle of sea salt and pepper, have some lemony Mrs. Dash? A handful of paprika?
- Place in oven for 20 minutes or until kale is crisp but not dark brown, nor is it soggy in the middle. You may turn with tongs after 10 minutes to ensure an even crisping.
- Dry out for at least 30 minutes. Store in airtight containers with a paper towel in the bottom to eliminate sogginess.

Dinner Planner for Week of October 4th

2010-10-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

MONDAY: Lamb Ale Sausage and new potatoes in fry-pan with green (pea and leek) soup
TUESDAY: Shrimpy rice pilaf with sauteed zucchini and red peppers
WEDNESDAY: Spinach and cheese pizza with veggie soup
THURSDAY: Baked fish, brown rice mixed greens or broccoli
FRIDAY: Veal in oven roasted veggies and cheesy cauliflower

Zucchini Treats

2010-09-19T20:14:00.001-07:00

I do appreciate zucchini though I'm not a huge devotee of the slightly mushy vegetable. This week I had a couple of extra zukes sitting around in my crisper and I decided to do something yummy with them. If I weren't so lazy, I'd have put them to better use. I've seen talented hands turn zucchini blossoms into delectable treats before my eyes; now that's a dish I'll never attempt on my own.

First off for this lazy chef was to try and replicate the deep and delicious chocolate zucchini bread that local folk sell at our farmers' market. Theirs is very yummy but definitely contains too much sugar. This is the recipe I made, but put in just 2/3 cup sugar in total, along with a couple of teaspoons of honey. Thanks Inspired Taste bloggers!

Since there was extra grated zucchini left over from the cake, I decided to make zucchini fritters. I don't have a recipe for this. You simply mix together grated zucchini with a flour-egg mixture sufficient to hold the patties together. Try a 2:1 ratio: 1 cup of grated zucchini with half an egg and 2/3 cup of flour, with a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Shape into patties and fry in a little bit of olive oil and butter. Now that's a taste of autumn!

Dinner Planner for Week of September 20th

2010-09-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

Rainy days mean more cooking, so here's what we have planned for this week.

SUNDAY: Shake n' Bake chicken, brown rice and broccoli
MONDAY: Beef bolognese spaghetti and rapini
TUESDAY: Japanese ramen miso soup with shrimp, corn and baby bok choy
WEDNESDAY: Fish with grilled polenta and green beans
THURSDAY: Vegetarian Lasagne with Swedish meatballs on the side
FRIDAY: Mac n' cheese with backyard kale and broccoli

Dinner Planner for week of September 13

2010-09-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

For this week of fall-like weather it's all about the heavier meals.

Monday: Fresh roasted veggie pasta with Greek salad

Tuesday: Grilled salmon, new potatoes and sauerkraut, asparagus

Wednesday: Japanese ramen noodle soup with shrimp, baby bok choy, tofu and peas

Thursday: Burgers and yam fries with fresh veggie on the side

Friday: Vegetarian pizza + meatballs

Dinner Planner for Back to School

2010-09-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie with green beans

Tuesday: (lunch: egg salad sandwiches veggie juicebox) Shake n' Bake Chicken with Broccoli

Wednesday: (lunch: leftover broc with humous, cheese sandwich) Veggie Lasagna with Chicken

Thursday: (lunch: pb, j and banana sandwiches) Crab Cakes, sauteed leeks and broccoli soup

Friday: Pasta with cauliflower and meatballs, carrot and cukes on the side

So Easy, a Kid Could Do It

2010-08-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

As soon as your child can sit up and talk, it's time to get them thinking about food preparation. Young children love to help and it's a great way to get them involved in making a variety of foods, that they are sure to eat, once they have "made it" themselves.

My Bug made most of this cake above. It's a much less sweet version of a recipe for sweet potato cake I found on a great but now defunct food blog.

Okay, so I helped by reading the steps, measuring the amounts, placing the pan in the oven and doing most of the cleanup. But she did quite a lot, right down to mixing the icing and drizzling it over top of the cake. And she had a great time!

If you try the recipe, know that I doubled it to make it fit into a Bundt pan, and I used only half the sugar it calls for, then added three sachets of Stevia powder.

Beat Boredom with Online Inspiration

2010-08-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

I'm determined that my addiction to the Internet will make my life better, not merely waste all of my spare time. I'm always on the lookout for articles, websites, apps that will help me cook better meals for my family, and this Recipes for Health mini-site fit the bill.

Here you'll find a collection of healthy recipes which are beautifully photographed. You can search for recipes in a variety of ways but my favourite is to click on the photo of the food you're planning to cook. Scroll down to the left-hand side of the page to choose by ingredient or theme (e.g. burger alternatives, Lunchbox fixes).

Simply smart, healthy and delicious.

Fructose Speeds Cancerous Growth

2010-08-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

My nutritionist education at the Canadian School for Natural Nutrition was an almost unending refrain about the health risks and dangers of eating processed foods, while espousing a return to the foods we were designed to eat. As each year passes since my graduation, I see more and more mainstream articles finally switching their focus away from fatty foods and towards the evils of processed sugars.

A sea change is coming. We're going to finally see the medical establishment admit that there is little to no evidence (in the last 50 years!) that eating a naturally fat diet causes disease and obesity. And we'll see a focus shift to the mounting evidence that manufactured foods are harming our bodies.

This Globe and Mail article links the consumption of fructose to increased growth of pancreatic cancer cells. The article states "While it's widely known that cancer cells use glucose to fuel their growth, last week's findings were the first to link fructose to cancer growth."

In my studies, I came across a lot of theories positing that for example, processed sugars in the bloodstream will lower the immune response, but very little scientific proof. To-date, few researchers have set out to study that processed sugars like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) are detrimental to one's health. Who would fund these studies? The non-existent Union of Fruit and Vegetable Growers or America? And what type of scrutiny and backlash would such a study face, from the HFCS industry, the soda companies, manufacturers like General Mills whose breakfast and convenience foods are laden with processed sugars?

We need more academics and scientists to pursue independent research without financial backing by large corporations, if we want to find out the truth about how our modern diet is affecting our health. In the meantime, do your body a favour and cut processed sugars out of your diet; substitute if you must, with a more natural sweetener, like Stevia or honey.

Dinner Planner for Week of August 9th

2010-08-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Running out of ideas for meals, this week, I again went to Epicurious to check out their Weekly Dinner Rush feature. That helped a bit. I could eat salads all week long, but this doesn't exactly work for the kids. Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday: Herbed Salmon (spread with mayo and dill before putting in oven) with brown rice and green beans

Tuesday: Takeout sushi

Wednesday: Rotini and Rapini with tomato meatball sauce (using ground buffalo)

Thursday: Leftover meatball sandwiches with Greek Salad

Friday: Chicken Pepperonata (Polish pinjar red pepper sauce), garlic couscous with peas and fresh red pepper strips with dip

Saturday: Shrimps on the Barbie with Caesar salad

Quinoa Salad

2010-07-21T21:22:00.001-07:00

Had a visit over the weekend with my friend Kevin who is the picture of health, and stole a peek at his lunch. I decided to make some version of his salad this week. So this is what I came up with:
- quinoa
- chopped tomatoes, cukes, yellow peppers
- olives and feta cheese
Mixed it with an olive oil vinaigrette and put it on a bed of baby lettuces from the garden. Another yummy summertime meal!

Dinner Planner for the Week of July 18th

2010-07-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

We've been away and busy as often happens in the summertime. Consequently, I've not been planning out our meals, and so we haven't been eating as healthfully as I'd like. I'm trying to get back on the wagon, if only to make grocery shopping more pleasant and easy. Here's what we're planning to eat this week:

SUNDAY: Lunch - Tuna Caprese Salad (mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, tuna and basil);

Dinner - Big Salad a la Chez Gladines which means lots of lettuces, a fried egg and Roquefort cheese if you have it.
MONDAY: Stuffed Chicken breasts with asparagus and brown and wild rice on the side.
TUESDAY: Salmon on the BBQ and Greek Salad on the side.
WEDNESDAY: Quinoa salad with feta, grape tomatoes, olives and peppers and cukes.
THURSDAY: Make your Own Pizzas. We're having a choice of veggie bologna, capers, peppers, sundried tomatoes, asparagus, olives and lotsa mozzarella cheese
FRIDAY: Lamb sausages on the BBQ with warm lentil salad
SATURDAY: Lunch - Salmon or Crab Pockets;

Dinner - Bread and anchovy salad

Summertime, and the Drinking is Easy!

2010-06-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

Easy, if you have good drink recipes, that is.

A Mexican vegetarian restaurant nearby had a sandwich board outside advertising their delicious white wine sangrias. This inspired me to make better use of our habitual leftover wine. Confession time: the hubby and I are cheap drunks and often get through only half a bottle of wine in an evening. So we will finish the remaining wine, one, sometimes even two days later.

This weekend I decided to jazz up the leftovers by turning them into summery white sangria. Here's what I did to make sangria for two:
- half a bottle of pinot gris
- half a lemon, half an orange
- 3 shots of rum
- 1 Tbsp agave (or honey, maple syrup, or that evil white stuff if you must)
- 1 cup of lemonade
- sprigs of sage and mint from the garden (at least the herbs are thriving in this cold, wet weather)

Chop the fruits and squeeze their juice into a glass pitcher, then throw them in. Add in rum, sweetener too and stir it up. Finally add in white wine and juice. Let stand in fridge for several hours.
Remove from fridge and add herbs (unless you like a more savoury drink in which case add them in at the beginning).
Serve with ice and enjoy responsibly!

Big Salt Wants You!

2010-05-31T20:13:00.000-07:00

It's been while since I've gotten on the blog soapbox. It's easier at times to just write about ways to incorporate healthy food into your diet. But whenever I hear that a multinational company is going on an offensive to maintain its false appearance of caring about consumers' health, I need to write a rant.

You've probably been hearing bad things about salt; in the media, from your doctor. But if we buy less salt, then the "poor" companies who produce salt will lose profits. That's why one of the latest grocery trends is to sell you "exotic salts", to make sure you keep buying their product. Even members of my own family, with whom we've discussed the perils of too much sodium in the diet, once again have salt on the table. "It's sea salt! Good for you!"

No salt - other than a very tiny amount each day - is good for you. We don't eat it in nature, it poisons our palate and keeps us coming back for more, and it's everywhere. Unless you make your own food from morning 'til night, do not put salt in your food. I can assure you, it's already there in dangerous amounts. You should consume less than 1 teaspoon total salt each day. All processed foods contain salt, so check your labels. You may be eating far above the recommended total of 1800 mg each day.

But do take a look at this article which exposes the manipulative Cargill company for trying to win back our salty loyalties. Or rather, our pocketbooks. You may recall, this is the same Cargill that tried to defend its honourable reputation after its tainted frozen burgers killed people.

The NYTimes.com article really exposes how the food companies care most about making large profits, and having low expenses: "Making deep cuts in salt can require more expensive ingredients that can hurt sales. ".

The food manufacturers also want to hook you on their products and make sure you cannot ever do without them: “Once a preference is acquired,” a top scientist at Frito-Lay wrote in a 1979 internal memorandum, “most people do not change it, but simply obey it.”

Examples like this one are terrifying; the manufacturer explains how when they remove salt from their food, it turns out to taste horrible: “Salt really changes the way that your tongue will taste the product,” Mr. Kepplinger [V.P. of Kellogg] said. “You make one little change and something that was a complementary flavor now starts to stand out and become objectionable.” Makes you wonder what they are feeding us in those shiny boxes. In my nutrition schooling, we read of lab rats who lived longer off the boxes which processed cereal came in, than actually eating the cereal, where they died within weeks.

Read and be forewarned. I see a not-too-distant future where we are all cultivating our own gardens, and by extension our own true health.

Dish of the Day: One Dish Dinner

2010-05-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Sadly, those of us in Vancouver have suffered recently with some very poor weather. It has been rainy and cold for weeks. It's almost June, but there's been only 3 days of sunny and warm weather (above 19 C). Yes, yes, I know it's been hot out East. Please, please send it our way!

For those of us whose stomachs are linked to the weather, it's not been all about the salads lately, rather the focus is still on warm food. Here's something I threw together the other night which was both quick and nutritious.

One Dish Mac n Cheese

- Boil macaroni in salted water. When five minutes remain in the cooking, add vegetables of your choice (e.g. kale, green peas, green beans, broccoli florets, etc) to the boiling water.

- Drain the dish into a colander

- Add the protein of your choice to the colander (e.g. tofu, cut up wiener, chopped boiled eggs, cubed ham, chopped chicken)

- Into the saucepan from which you drained the pasta, add in a tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of whole milk and heat over low heat. Stir in grated or shredded cheese and whisk to combine so it thickens and becomes a cheese sauce.

- Add the drained pasta, vegetables and protein and warm and serve.

Dish of the Day: Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

2010-05-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

Look at this sweet little scoop. Pretty in Pink!!

I'm in love with my new Cuisinart compressor ice cream maker, the ICE-50BCC. It makes frozen treats in minutes. We really love our ice cream in this house but it's often so heavy and I assumed too sugary. I wanted to try and make a healthier version. I'm learning, however, that the heavier cream recipes make the more delectable ice creams. Think Safeway ice cream versus Haagen-Dazs. The Safeway stuff is lower in calories, and is much less indulgent-tasting because it's just milk and flavouring. The higher-end ice creams that taste super-creamy and heavy tend to be made with custard. They start off with heavy cream and egg yolks which is slowly cooked and cooled before being made into ice cream. Hence the heavier taste.

I like that creamy mouth-feel, but not the heavy feeling in my stomach afterward. So I'm working on that. I'd like to try keeping in the eggs, but maybe losing all that whipped cream; it's just too rich. Or experimenting with other thickeners, such as seaweed products.

Here is a recipe for a very light and fruity frozen yogurt. I'm going to try it again with a higher fat Greek-style yogurt. I think you can get 12% or higher nowadays and that might make it creamier.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

- Take 1 box of strawberries (generally a quart) and slice into small pieces and cover with 1/3 cup of berry sugar (fine granulated).

- Let stand on the counter for about an hour and stir with a spoon occasionally to bring out the juices.

- Then place in food processor with a full tub (e.g. 750 ml) of plain yogurt; NOT non-fat. I used Astro's 7% Balkan yogurt. Puree. Sprinkle in 3 single-serve packages of Stevia, 1/2 tsp ground cardamon and 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice.

- At this point, you can strain through a fine mesh sieve - which I had to do because otherwise this would not all fit into my ice cream maker - to get out the seeds. This takes a long time so be patient.

- Pop it back into the fridge covered in plastic wrap for an hour (or more, the more the better) to chill.

- Put in your ice cream maker and follow directions for frozen yogurt. I'm not going to recommend you pour this into ice cubes or anything - that has never worked for me. Use an ice cream maker for best results.

Dish of the Day: Quesadillas

2010-05-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

Spring is most definitely here in Vancouver and today actually felt quite summery. The Farmers' Market at Trout Lake was the first to open this weekend; a couple more weeks and the outdoor pools will be open too.

We hit the jackpot at the market this morning. Not only were there herbs aplenty for adding to my newly-planted garden, but a few vendors had brought some fresh produce. We made a melt-in-the-mouth Greek salad for dinner with the juiciest peppers, baby cukes and tomatoes I've tasted in a long time. I had leftover roast chicken and wraps, and a ton of cheese, which meant that quesadillas were inevitable. I try to keep them dry on the inside - adding salsa can make them too wet - and I load them up with toppings on my plate. Here's a quick "recipe":

1. Chop your protein (tofu, chicken, whitefish) into small thin strips. Place these on one half of the wrap.

2. Thinly slice some tomatoes and lay on top of the protein.

3. Sprinkle on chopped green onions, chives or whichever fresh herbs you have.

4. Over top of this all, sprinkle your favourite shredded cheese.

5. Fold the bare half over and place into a non-stick skillet (no oil required).

6. Cover with a lid and leave fro 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

7. Using a large spatula, flip the wrap over in the pan to heat the other side. Replace cover.

8. When you're sure that the cheese has melted and both sides of the wrap are warmed and slightly browned, remove from heat and cut in half (as shown on plate).

9. Serve with guacamole/chopped avocado, sour cream, salsa.

Dinner Planner for Week of April 5th

2010-04-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the plan for this week. Feelin' lazy!

MONDAY - Veggie pizza again, leftover homemade celeriac soup and sauteed chard with olive oil and garlic. [lunch: leftover turkey sandwiches and veggies and dip]

TUESDAY - Broccoli tuna quiche, a one-dish wonder! [lunch: leftover chard with lentil soup]

WEDNESDAY - Pan-fried sole with brown rice and green beans [lunch: last night's quiche and squash and yam soup]

THURSDAY - Big salad: organic greens, hard-boiled eggs, artichoke hearts, green beans, chick peas, green onions and bell peppers and hummus and pita [lunch: whatever the cafeteria's serving with brown rice on the side]

FRIDAY - Roast chicken with green salad and garlic bread [lunch: egg salad, hummus and cut-up veggies]

Dish of the Day: Green Soup

2010-03-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

The other day it was cold, and the fridge was full of green veggies just begging to be eaten. I decided to make some Green Soup. I am a lazy cook, and this is fast one-pot wonder. I forgot to add in little pasta stars to make the soup more fun for the kids, but they loved it anyway.

What follows is not a recipe, just a quick easy way to turn veggies into a delicious soup in 30 minutes. You can use any leafy greens,

Green Soup

This is best with 3 or more different vegetables, to provide a richer flavour. I used:

- 1 bunch of kale, or chard

- 2 large leeks (just the white stalks, chopped into rounds)

- 1 russet potato peeled and cubed

- 1 sweet potato, cubed, peel on

- 1/2 head of garlic, cloves peeled

- 1/2 cup leftover asparagus

- 1 veggie bouillon cube

- 2 tsp Better than bouillon chicken

- 2 Tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 cup milk

- Wash the kale and leeks well. Take the large bony stem out of the middle of the kale and rip the leaves into pieces. Chop potatoes and cover with the wet kale.

- Put your olive oil in the bottom of a large stockpot and bring to medium heat. Throw in your garlic, then add your chopped leeks. Stir once a minute, and keep on the heat for about 5 minutes.

- Throw your leafy greens and potatoes into the pot. Add in your dry (veggie) boullion cube now too.

- Add enough water so that vegetables are floating a bit. For a stockpot filled with vegetables, add about 3 cups of water. If it's 2/3 full, try adding 2 cups of water. You don't want to throw any water away, as there will be lots of nutrients in this water once the veggies have boiled in it.

- Bring pot to a boil and let simmer (a gentle boil) for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and let cool slightly - especially if you will mix in a blender

- use a hand mixer or a blender to puree the soup completely. You'll now add in the wet bouillon, any fresh herbs and just enough milk to bring a creaminess to the soup. This is now the time to add in any previously-cooked veggies to the soup.

- Place pot back on the stove and bring to a boil and then immediately shut off. Serve hot.

- If your soup is quite wet, and so you cannot add milk you could either boil the soup for another 15 minutes with the lid off to get rid of some of the water; then add your milk. Or, serve with a dollop of sour cream, which when stirred in will make the soup very creamy.

Dinner Planner for Week of March 29th

2010-03-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

This week's weather report is full of rain, so for us, that typically means lots of soups and warmer meals.

MONDAY Baked salmon (rubbed with 1/2 tsp mayo), brown rice and broccoli [lunch: leftover homemade pasta shells with turkey bolognese and kale]

TUESDAY Rosemary lamb with pita and greek salad [lunch: leftover broccoli added to Amy's Lentil Vegetable soup, w/ multigrain toast]

WEDNESDAY Pork tenderloin with mixed frozen veggies and butternut squash soup

[lunch: leftover greek salad with chicken salad sandwich]

THURSDAY Veggie pizza (we buy Dr. Oetker's Spinaci) with sauteed shrimp and salad greens [lunch: leftover soup, leftover pork sandwich with spinach leaves and pesto]

FRIDAY Japanese chicken curry with carrots, potatoes, and fresh cucumber slices [lunch: shrimp salad with hard-boiled egg and crackers and cheese]

Snack of the Day: Carob Bars

2010-03-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

I modified a recipe I found online and we're gobbling it up. I felt the original had too much sweetener in it; after all, carob powder is pretty sweet on its own. I also wanted a crunchier texture and felt that just plain oats was too boring/limiting for this type of snack. This is now a recipe that you can vary each time you make it, and is an inexpensive way to make homemade granola bars. The Bug is proudly saying "I made it", and it's true, she helped measure out and add the ingredients when the pot was no longer on the stove.

Rich Carob Bars

- 1/3 cup milk

- 1/2 cup honey

- 1/2 cup carob powder

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1/2 cup peanut butter, or almond or cashew

- 1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

- 1 1/2 cup your favourite low-sugar crunchy cereal (Bran nuts, Fibre 1), I used Kashi GO LEAN which is definitely not sweet (not the Crunch version)

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add milk and butter until melted. Then add in carob powder and honey and whisk together with a fork. Bring this to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. It will resemble molasses.

2. Remove saucepan from heat, and add vanilla and the nut butter.

3. Now add in the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Spread evenly into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. Use a piece of parchment, foil or whatever you used to grease the pan to pat down the top your bars so that they are flat.

4. Chill and eat!

Most homemade granola-type bars need to be kept in the fridge because they don't contain the same stabilising and preserving agent that commercial bars do. Cut them into squares and store in the fridge in snack bags so they're easy to pop in your lunch, or your mouth.

Dinner Planner for week of March 21

2010-03-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

This week's Dinner Menu is all about using up what's in my pantry. We've got a lot of stuff in the fridge and freezer (bought when items we like went on sale) and it's now time to start using it.

MONDAY Roasted garlic and Asiago fresh pasta from Old Country with leftover roasted chicken and rapini, in olive oil and garlic sauce.
TUESDAY [lunch: salmon salad from the weekend and leftover celeriac soup] Homemade beef burgers, with boiled rapini and asparagus
WEDNESDAY [lunch: hamburger patty with salad] Pan-seared haddock with kale and Annie's Naturals Whole Wheat macaroni and cheese
THURSDAY [lunch: kale mac n' cheese] Chicken strips homemade purple sweet potatoes and fresh veggies (note: cook Butternut squash in oven)
FRIDAY Whole wheat gnocchi, spinach and butternut squash in turkey bolognese sauce

Dinner Planner for Week of March 14th

2010-03-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new feature called Dinner Planner which will list my own Dinner Menu Planning for each week. To cut down on grocery costs I've been planning weekly dinner menus on the weekend based on what's arrived in my vegetable bin and what's on sale at my local grocers. I try to make two or three meals out of what I cook by making extra some nights, such as grilling an extra chicken breast to cut up and use in pasta the next day.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas about how to come up with a variety of nutritious meals from week to week. I always have some form of protein on the plate with starch taking a much smaller role. Starches are always whole-grain. With my family's meals, I always ensure the vegetable portion takes up a third or more of the space on our plates.

Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday - Roast chicken with purple potatoes and collard greens

Monday - Make your own pizzas with whole wheat pita and leftover chicken, bell peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and cheese [lunch: chicken salad on multigrain, green salad]

Tuesday - Snapper with basil butter, brown rice, asparagus, fresh tomato slices with basil leaves and olive oil

Wednesday - Free range ground beef meatballs with whole wheat spaghetti and red chard [lunch: egg salad sandwich and asparagus steamed in silicone steamer at work]

Thursday - Turkey dogs and leek and pea soup [lunch: last night's pasta with added green peas]

Friday - Veggie stir-fry with bell peppers and snow peas [lunch: turkey weiners and brown beans and raw veggies and dip]

Free Java Won't Buy My Loyalty

2010-03-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

McDonald's is offering free coffee for the first two weeks of March and I took the bait the other morning. Their coffee isn't bad. Their cups are a bit odd. Doesn't it look like the cup is smiling up at you? I feel a bit odd locking lips with my cup each time I take a swig.

I suppose the idea is that if they're going to rival Starbucks and others for your morning coffee dollars, they need folks to know that they have good coffee. And they seem to. But I want to choose my milk, and have an option besides white sugar to sweeten my coffee. Also, I know that McD's is trying to "healthy up" to win back customers who've been conscious of their waistlines. But even their breaded chicken breast nuggets and healthy salads are not enough for me to want to really eat there. I can find better fast food. Not to mention, there are plenty of local businesses to support with less contentious histories.

While I appreciate the campaign and I did enjoy the coffee (though not the guilt I felt slinking out of there), I think I'll stick with my favourite choices: Starbucks, Hazelmere Organic beans, and the little Portuguese cafe up the street on weekends.

Dish of the Day: Kale Bake

2010-03-02T14:40:00.001-08:00

This scrumptious recipe goes out to my good friend Jen C!

Recipe for Kale Bake

Serves four as a side dish
1 large bunch kale, stems removed and washed in a large bowl of water; make sure leaves are ripped into small pieces
1 large bunch of fresh spinach chopped and washed 2 times in a large bowl of water, or 1 block frozen spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 eggs
¼ cup of whole milk
1/3 cup sharp cheese, grated or chopped
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, add the kale and boil for 4-5 minutes. If using fresh spinach, add this in the last 1 minute of boiling time. If using frozen spinach, add at the same time as the kale.
2. Transfer to a colander, rinse with cold water, then drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Using a sharp knife and fork, ensure the greens are chopped into small pieces, not clumped together, or they will not mix well with the eggy mixture.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil or butter a 8” x 8” glass pan or glass pie dish.
4. Beat the eggs with the milk in a bowl, and then stir in the cooked vegetables, herbs, and cheese. Add in 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and then salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and scrape it all into the baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top, and drizzle on the remaining olive oil.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and starting to brown on the top. Serve hot or warm.
This will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Adapted from Martha Shulman

Portion Control: What's a proper serving look like?

2010-02-23T17:46:00.001-08:00

Big cinnamon bun,

By now, most people know that they should be eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. But what does that actually look like? And what is a portion of protein? Is it different if it's animal or vegetable protein? How much should we eat at each meal?

Here's a website that clearly shows you what these items need to look like on your plate, and gives many examples of proper portion sizes. When we read labels at the grocery store, we see serving sizes but don't often know what those sizes would look like.

If you look around on WebMD's Portion Control Plate, you will see examples of typical serving sizes. Sure that cake looks none too evil according to the label, but that's only if you eat a piece of cake the size of a deck of cards. I usually take bites that are the size of a deck of cards. And especially look at the Grains section for a visual on what a typical serving of pasta looks like. It's a baseball, not a football. This means that when you have a large dinner plate of pasta, you are exceeding the recommended serving size by about 300%.

Companies have been making ever larger portions while only posting rather modest serving sizes on their labels. Look at this gigantic cinnamon bun above. I just had to snap a photo of it; it was ginormous! I am a tall woman with fairly large hands and this bun was about the size of my head. Whomever bought that bun likely did not eat it in several modest portions. It would be eaten at one sitting, just like all those enormous muffins folks buy at Starbucks, McDonald's and everywhere else nowadays.

This means that even if we're reading labels, we are probably getting fatter by consuming far more calories than we think we are. It pays to eat a moderate amount of food: better for your digestion, better for your fat cells, and better on your pocketbook. Unless you're an athlete, you don't need enormous amounts of food at one sitting. And if you're reading this blog, it's pretty likely that you know where your next meal is coming from, so it's very unnecessary to stuff oneself at each meal. Make sure that you read your labels and understand how much food they refer to, before putting it on your plate.

Eating for Heart Health; Are You Up for the Challenge?

2010-02-09T13:54:00.001-08:00

One of yesterday's health headlines caught my attention: "Heart Strategy Could Save Canada Billions". The article goes on to explain that the Conference Board of Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada have released a Heart Health strategy that demonstrates how to reduce the incidence of stroke and heart disease between now and the year 2020.

What are their recommendations? They seem ridiculously obvious:

- reduce smoking

- Increase the number of Canadian children and adults eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables

- Increase the number of Canadian children and adults who are physically active each day

- decrease obesity rates

If March's federal budget approves money for this strategy which was proposed last year, I hope we will see a lot of healthy changes, such as new food labelling laws which show what's actually inside processed foods so that people ca nmake informed decisions. But real change starts at home, doesn't it? When we go to the grocery store, we have to read what's on the labels of any processed food (i.e. anything besides meat, fruit or fruits and vegetables). We also have to get better at eating 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This is tough! I thought I did a good job, and consider myself to have a pretty good appetite. But I took inventory of what I ate yesterday which was only:

2 servings of whole grains

2 servings of fruit

3 servings of vegetables

2 servings of dairy

2 servings of protein

This is actually not very much food for someone my height, age and level of activity, which explains why I am often snacking before bed. Most importantly, this is not enough fruits and veggies; it falls just on the edge of the recommended 5-10 servings. I can do better; I just need to put my mind to it. We all can!

I challenge you to take stock of what you're eating for a couple of days to see what you're taking in. Check out the Canada Food Guide for more information on what constitutes a serving of each type of food. I'm not a huge fan of the Food Guide, which considers apple juice (boiled, processed, sugary syrup separated from its natural fibres) to be a serving of fruit. I also don't like that they still recommend a diet that's mostly starches and complex carbohydrates. However, it's a good place to go to get a clear picture of what "eating 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day" really means.

Organic Groceries Deliver Inspiration

2010-02-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

We've finally signed up for Spud, a home delivery grocery company which features a lot of local organic foods. This means that each week we will have fresh, organic produce delivered to our home, and I'll need to come up with ways to cook with it.

Tonight I took a prepared Asiago and Artichoke dip and added half a bag of fresh spinach which I'd boiled for a minute, then chopped and squeezed to get rid of the water. I popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds and we ate this with sliced red peppers, carrots and tortilla chips.

The main involved a shrimp ring I found on sale at our regular grocery store. With tails removed I added them to a frypan full of chopped green onions, garlic, red pepper and fresh crimini mushrooms, in a little olive oil.

I can't argue that we'll be saving the planet with home delivery of groceries; after all, I usually walk to the grocery store. But it's nice to have fresh food just appear on your doorstep, without having to lug it home, or stand in line to pay. Most of all, the weekly harvest box of assorted fresh, seasonal vegetables are ones I wouldn't normally choose, so I'll get a chance to try out some new and different dishes. This little tub of food is going to give me a whole lotta inspiration!

Dish of the Day: Nachos

2010-01-18T21:13:00.001-08:00

For the Golden Globes, we wanted to eat in front of the TV and have an easy meal. Nachos were a perfect solution, and a nice cool weather meal.

Recipe for Oven Nachos
- half a package of nachos (try Que Pasa made with good oils and low in sodium)
- no more than 1 cup of shredded cheese
- 2 small bell peppers diced
- handful of cherry or grape tomatoes chopped
- handful of chopped green onions
- 1/2 package Yves Veggie Ground Round (Mexican or Original) or 1 cup cooked ground beef or turkey

Oven to 350. Spread all ingredients on a baking sheet and place in oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese melts.
Serve with chopped avocado, salsa, sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro or parsley. Eat while it's warm. The above amounts serves 3.

Should You Eat Powdered Greens?

2010-01-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

I often get this question: "What about those greens drinks? Should I buy them?" Of course, my answer is usually: it depends.

It depends on:

- which type of "greens drink" you're talking about

- how often you are drinking them

- why you are drinking them?

- when are you drinking them?

The best scenario is to choose a good product, use it occasionally to boost your vitamin and mineral intake, drink it away from meals, as a snack, and heaven forbid! don't mix with any sugar, and only a minimal amount of juice.

There are many powdered greens products out there: such Greens+, Berry Greens, Triple Greens and many others. These are typically freeze-dried, powdered green vegetables and may include "superfoods" such as algae, spirulina, wheatgrass (baby wheat stems). The powder can be added to juice or water and drinking it supposedly gives you an energy and nutrient boost. Some juice companies, such as Odwalla, or Happy Planet's bottled products or Booster Juice or Jugo Juice stores will add freeze-dried, powdered greens to their drinks.

It's always better to eat fresh, whole foods such as broccoli or kale instead of consuming their powdered form, because then you're getting all of the benefits of the food, especially the fibre. However, food science is now pretty sophisticated, and a freeze-dried vegetable can contain almost as many nutrients as the fresh version. Some companies, such as New Chapter, use organic fresh fruits and vegetables and ferment them before freeze-drying to ensure that all the nutrients in the food are fully available before drying them.

What's the fermentation all about? Foods like spinach and kale contain enzymes which prevent their vitamins and minerals from being digested and absorbed unless they are broken down by cooking/fermenting, or eaten in combination with other foods such as dairy. Of course, once you cook a vegetable, you immediately lose some of its vitamins. Fermentation offers a great way to unlock and preserve a food's nutrients.

What about these superfoods? I personally don't like eating any of these green "foods" which humans wouldn't normally eat in nature. Spirulina, wheatgrass and blue-green algae may be mean, green and packed with vitamins, but I shudder with nausea when I drink them. I prefer to stick with greens products, such as Berry Green, which don't include these unusual foods. On the other hand, the company that makes the Greens+ line offers flavours and variations for everyone, as long as you don't mind the taste of spirulina.

While I really appreciate the convenience of juice stores like Jugo Juice, I find that like most companies, they'll sell you cheap ingredients to make maximum profits. Sometimes their fruits are not very ripe, but when they're frozen, and tucked away in a hidden freezer, it's hard for the customer to know. Until you taste them that is. So that's why they mask the flavour of unripe fruits with ice cream or "sorbet" as they like to call it. If you go to a juice store, try to get fresh juices, made from vegetables instead of fruit, and make sure they do not add ice cream or any other sugars.

Eating greens powder could be similar to eating the equivalent of up to 2 servings of organic green vegetables and superfoods. A small amount contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. And it's a pretty convenient way to get these nutrients: at work, on the go, or first thing on the morning. But remember: a greens drink is not as good as eating those fresh veggies, so if you are able to prepare delicious leafy greens, you should do so, and not depend on powdered substitutes. I'm envious of people who have the time to cook nutritious meals filled with fresh, organic vegetables, because I'm not one of them. As long as you don't depend on your greens drink as the main way to get "vegetables" into your body, then you're doing your body good.

Again, if you want to drink your greens, be sure to choose a greens product that has a wide variety of leafy green and cruciferous vegetables, don't mix it with more than 200 ml of juice, and don't rely on it as a crutch to preparing and eating lots of fresh vegetables each day.

Dish of the Day: Super Fast Lentil Soup

2010-01-05T13:58:00.001-08:00

Coming home the other day I realised we had practically no food in the house. None except frozen pizza, ugh! So I grabbed a couple of things from the little corner store and made this soup to accompany our spinach and cheese pizza.

Hearty Lentil Soup Recipe - Makes 2 bowls

Ingredients:

- 1 can lentils

- handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

- 2 green onions

- 1/2 bouillon cube

- handful of leafy green vegetables - such as bok choy leaves, spinach, kale, or chard leaves - shredded into slivers

- oregano, lemon juice, ground pepper

Into a soup pot on medium heat, throw the chopped white stalks of 2 green onions, and halved tomatoes in with 1 tsp olive oil. Saute for 3 minutes, then add 1/4 tsp oregano flakes. Add in 1 tsp lemon juice and stir for 1 minute.

Open a small can of cooked lentils (8 oz) and rinse fully. Add lentils to pot along with 1/2 a can-ful of water. Add your greens and 1/2 bouillon cube (chicken or veggie) and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure that the greens get cooked. Remove from heat, add in another tsp of lemon juice, 1 Tbsp chopped green tops of onion and ground pepper to taste. Voila - fresh soup!

Dish of the Day: Brussels n' Bacon

2009-12-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

At our house we do love Brussels sprouts but not in the conventional way. We shred them or roast them until they carmelise. Tonight I decided to do something different. I added bacon. Here's how to try this at home

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon:

- For two, chop about 12 medium-sized heads into strips (after removing the stem) and dice 1 piece of raw bacon.

- In a large frying pan, heat up 1 tsp of olive oil on medium low heat, and then place the sprouts and the bacon into the pan.

- Cover with a lid and wait for about 5 minutes before using a large spatula to turn everything in the pan over.

- Leave the cover on for the first 15 minutes of cooking, and turn every few minutes to prevent burning and evenly cook the contents of the pan. Leave the cover off after that so you can keep a close eye on the leaves so they don't burn.

- It will take about 25 minutes for the Brussels to fully cook, at which point they will be tender and you can pierce them easily with a fork. If you turn up the heat it will take less time but the leaves may brown too quickly, or burn.

- Remove from heat and add a sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste.

This is a great way to eat a very nutritious member of the cruciferous family. While most people think of Brussels sprouts as soggy vegetables with a strange texture, this recipe turns them into a savoury dish with a nutty, not mention, bacon-y, flavour.

Dish of the Day: Stuffed chicken and potatoes

2009-12-05T19:10:00.001-08:00

Lazy dinner,
originally uploaded by me.

Today's post is about making the process of cooking dinner easier and more efficient. This photo at left shows how I saved time preparing dinner tonight. I crammed 3 different things on the baking sheet, some for tonight and some for tomorrow's lunch.

The chicken breasts were sliced in half and stuffed with herbed feta cheese, and I rubbed the breasts in oil and rolled them in a mixture of corn bread crumbs and herbs. I chopped the potatoes and drizzled some olive oil on them and then topped them with chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. The potato on the right will be peeled and mashed tomorrow and added to leftover baked herbed salmon to make salmon patties for our lunch.

The point is, I used only one tray and the food was ready all at the same time, but for the whole potato which I left in the oven after I turned it off. The baking tray won't even need to be washed thanks to the aluminum foil, a baking aid which I try not to use too often.

On the side, we served up leftover boiled broccoli florets for our greens. All in all, a pretty easy meal!

Peanut Butter Separation Anxiety - Solved!

2009-12-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

Do you like peanut butter? Mmm...I sure do. But wait - I'm not talking about that peanutty spread pictured above. That's just hydrogenated oil and icing sugar mixed with some crushed peanuts. Yeccccch!

I'm talking about ground peanuts in a jar. It's yummy stuff and it's one of my favourite treats, drizzled onto a banana, spread on toast with honey, on a cracker at night time. The problem is, there is a lot of separation of liquids and solids in a jar of peanut butter while it's sitting on a store shelf waiting for you to take it home. I have spent many collective hours wiping oily splotches off my counters made by an attempt to stir the PB oil and peanuts back together so that they become a homogenous spread. This has always been a tricky job, until now. I have discovered the secret to mixing natural peanut butter back into a lovely, smooth consistency.

Many people decide they'd rather buy the Kraft-type peanut spread pictured above because it's just so much easier to open the lid and spread away! Now you'll no longer be tempted by these horrible spreads because here is the solution you've been waiting for.

Buy a new jar of PB before your old one runs out. Place them side by side on the counter, lids removed. Using a fork, take out several forkfuls of peanut butter out of the new jar and place it into the "old" jar. Be careful not to let any of the oil drip onto the counter as you transfer the ground peanuts between jars. No focus on the new jar: use your fork to stir the oily, peanutty mass into a nicely blended spread. If it looks like you have too much in the new jar and the oil levels might seep out of the jar as you're stirring, simply take a bit more out of the new and place it in the old jar. Now put your newly-blended jar of PB and put it in the fridge. It will stay blended. And use up that old jar as quickly as can be. No mess, no fuss, no spills!

Exercise More, Stress Less

2009-11-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

Faithful readers of BEYG know that we are not advocates of exercising for weight loss. But we can't think of a better way to stay fit and feel great. Regular exercise makes a body feel wonderful, when not done to excess, and folks who are physically active just know that it has positive effects on their mental health as well.

Now some clever scientists at Princeton University are showing how regular exercise can produce new cells in the brain that do not react to stress. The article, goes into depth on this study and others which are demonstrating how rats brains are changing in response to exercise, and are becoming less anxious and stressed. Several studies involve putting rats on a running program and then subjecting them to laboratory-induced stressful situations. The runner rats were cool as cucumbers.

"It looks more and more like the positive stress of exercise prepares cells and structures and pathways within the brain so that they’re more equipped to handle stress in other forms," says one graduate student affiliated with the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Laboratory at Dartmouth. And it appears that the benefits appear somewhere between 3 and 6 weeks of getting on a regular training program. In the University of Colorado experiments, for instance, rats that ran for only three weeks did not show much reduction in stress-induced anxiety, but those that ran for at least six weeks did. "'Something happened between three and six weeks,' says Benjamin Greenwood, a research associate in the Department of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado, who helped conduct the experiments."

It's no surprise that there aren't any quick wins in the exercise department. Good things come to those who wait, and persevere. I'd better shut my laptop and start doing my exercises!

Ode to the Humble Pea

2009-11-11T14:46:00.001-08:00

Most folks with kids come to appreciate the humble pea as it's an easy food to cook (from frozen) and most kids enjoy this cute, round finger food. Personally I hated peas until I moved out on my own because I'd only encountered them in their canned incarnation. Like most moms in the 70s, my mom only served vegetables that came from a can, so I thought that all peas were mushy and a sickly, grey-green colour.

But at our house, we love our peas which are fresh from the pod in the summer and fresh from the freezer the rest of the year. Frozen foods have come a long way in recent years and they're generally picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen which preserves most of their vitamins and minerals. And because peas are so often "right there" in the freezer, just 3 minutes and a pot of boiling water away from being ready-to-eat, they make their way into lots of dishes.

I encourage you to consider adding peas to your meals, for an extra dab of fibre, protein and vitamins. If you've already got a main with a starch, a protein and a veggie side, you could add in peas to bump up the veggie factor. Here are some ways to incorporate peas into your meals:

- add to green salads

- add to pasta salad (try rotini, chicken, grape tomatoes and peas)

- add to creamy pasta dishes (e.g. shells, baby shrimp and peas)

- adding green peas to boxed macaroni and cheees bumps up the veggie quotient but still serve another vegetable on the side

- add to stews (in the last 5 minutes)

- add to soups (even canned veggie, chicken noodle)

This last suggestion we do frequently, and I love the way peas add colour and thickness to pureed soups. Go to your favourite recipe site, such as recipezaar.com or epicurious.com, and type in 'peas' and you won't believe how many interesting recipes pop up. Eat your peas today!

Mmm...Snuggie

2009-11-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

This is not a post about food. This is a post about my latest fashion favourite. Call it a gown for Recessionary Times. A "little black dress" for the eco-conscious, if you will.

This is me pictured above in my Snuggie. It's cozy and warm, makes me happy, and enables me to keep the thermostat turned down in our leaky old house. It may not be sexy, but then I don't plan on wearing it anywhere. I suppose you could go for the zebra or leopard pattern if you wanted to mince around the house looking mysterious. And it looks like anything goes at those Snuggie Parties. Call me a bore, but I'm not taking this baby into the great outdoors. I'm too afraid that harm might come its way: it might get stained, or torn. It's not even fire-retardant, poor thing.

I love my Snuggie! It's a baby blanket for adults. I just hope I'll be able to get a new one before it disintegrates from overuse, like my childhood blankie did. Poor Boodie....

Hallowe'en Party

2009-11-02T20:07:00.001-08:00

11/02/2009,
originally uploaded by follepourchocolat.

We had a Hallowe'en party this past weekend and I made gingerbread pumpkin cookies, vegetable macaroni and cheese and a veggie tray with dip. I was planning on sharing the recipe, but the truth is, I didn't keep track of what I did.

Baked Mac n' Cheese with Veggie Sauce

- Cook some whole grain macaroni according to package directions; drain in colander

- At same time, place a mixture of vegetables in a pot and just cover them with water. Bring to a boil. I used leek, broccoli stems, carrots, and some cauliflower.

- Boil until tender, about 15 minutes; let cool

- Puree vegetable mixture in your blender, reserving a bit of the water and add milk. It should be quite thick, not watery. Add vegetable water if it's too thick (i.e. you cannot pour it)

- Place macaroni back into pot you used to boil it

- Pour the vegetable puree over the macaroni and mix it in with a spoon. Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, or less.

- Put pasta into a buttered glass baking pan; sprinkle with 1 cup (or less) of shredded cheese of your preference

- Cover with foil and place into an oven at 400F

- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake until cheese topping bubbles.

- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The kids loved this dish and so did the adults, with everyone being quite surprised when they learned it was chock full of veggies. Yummy, good cold weather food. Oh! and the pumpkin cookies were a hit too....

Read Labels and Don't Be Duped

2009-10-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

I can't say enough how important it is to read labels now that every supermarket chain has its own branded "healthy food" line. Twice now I've come home with a product I grabbed off a shelf because I assumed it was good for us because the label told me it was.

The first was a President's Choice Blue Menu cracker; the other a Safeway Eating Right fig newton. When I finally read the labels, each of these foods had sugar listed as the first ingredient, before flour. That means that there was more sugar in the product than flour. I've followed a lot of cookie recipes over the years, but not even the sweetest one contained more sugar than flour. And why a fig newton cookie needs that much sugar is a mystery: figs are incredibly sweet on their own.

Companies are taking advantage of our trust and our lack of time in the grocery store aisles to sell us food that will do more harm than good. If you avoid processed food altogether, you won't get taken in, because most of these foods are processed and packaged to look like homemade, wholesome foods. But instead they are made with cheap ingredients (sugar, white flour) with a few healthy ingredients thrown in (e.g. flax seed) to make us think that the foods are good for us.

I encourage everyone to stick to your instincts about what's good for you and your family and take the time to read food labels. Just because a package looks like it contains a healthy item, does not mean it actually will. Apparently the FDA is planning to put pressure on companies who use coercive marketing and packaging to dress up unhealthy choices as healthy ones. They are looking into enforcing national labelling standards that will make it easier for consumers to pick the right foods. Don't expect to see them steering consumers away from sugar anytime soon though. Sugar still manages to avoid any medical blacklists, but that is due to change in the future.

Knowledge is definitely power, and what's more powerful than being in control of every thing you put into your body for fuel? Do yourself a favour and spend time finding out what's in the food you buy and eat.

Dish of the Day: Spinach Artichoke Dip

2009-10-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

In Vancouver, there are several restuarants that offer spinach and artichoke heart dip as an appetiser. They serve it with those fried nacho chips and I think they refry them before bringing the dish to the table because they always seem extra greasy.

One of these restaurants published their recipe years ago and I haven't ordered this dish ever since. Turns out that mayonnaise and butter are the main ingredients, as well as a lot of shredded cheese. Yummy....but a bit hard on the digestion, and who needs that much fat at one sitting?

I've asked my old friend ricotta cheese to stand in as the main ingredient in this delicious, cold weather appetiser. Ricotta is a relatively low fat cheese and it's still very light, high in protein and incredibly versatile. You can buy ricotta in low fat versions if you like, but I'm not keen on overly processed dairy foods.

Recipe for Spinach Artichoke Dip

- Take one block of frozen chopped spinach and prepare according to package instructions (usually, you boil it in a small amount of salted water for a few minutes)

- Dump the cooked spinach into a sieve, or colander and squeeze out all the water, or your dish will be watery

- Take 2 small jars of artichoke hearts (1 used one large can 398 ml) and also put them into the colander to remove all the water, or oil in which they were sitting

- Chop up artichoke hearts into smaller pieces if desired, and remove any woody pieces

- Generously butter a small oven-ready dish (I used an 8 x 8 square pan); go all the way up sides and edges

- Dump into your baking dish the contents of a 500 ml tub of ricotta cheese

- Now add the spinach and artichokes and mix well with a fork

- Stir in 2 Tbsp mayonnaise or sour cream and 1 Tbsp olive oil to make for a creamier consistency

- Add in a few shakes of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper if you like a bit of spice

- Finally, add in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (white cheddar, edam or gouda)

- Cover dish with aluminum foil and place in over at 375 for 20 minutes

- Remove the foil, crank oven up to 425 and cook for 5 more minutes

- Then turn oven to broil and watch your dish until cheese starts to brown

- Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. If you're eating with people who are related to you, or very good friends, eat right from the dish with tortilla chips, preferably a baked or multigrain kind. I served this with open-faced salmon sandwiches.

This dish can be reheated and really should serve 4 people at least 2 times. This is why you've buttered all edges of the pan to prevent ingredients from burning and sticking.

Dish of the Day: Turkey Roast

2009-10-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! This year we were a wee group of 6 diners with small appetites, and we're not big fans of turkey. I find that the white meat especially can be quite dry. There was also no way we'd make a dent in a big turkey, so I decided to try and cook a turkey roast, which I believe is when you take a turkey breast and stuff it, twine it and roast it in the oven.

As you can see above, it looked beautiful en route to the oven, but more importantly it tasted delectable. I'm attributing that to the extra special step of brining the turkey beforehand. The recipe which I loosely followed is this one. I made my own stuffing with whatever we had around the house: raisins, apples, onion, whole wheat bread, butter and chicken stock. I bought fresh sage for the occasion.

What did we serve with this, you ask? Peas and French green beans. Sadly I don't have a photo of the turkey after it was cooked because we gobbled it all up. But from now on, I will always brine a turkey. It's fast and easy and makes the meat moist and delicious. Highly recommended!

The Deadly Burger Deconstructed

2009-10-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

I like a good burger. And one of the best that I know is at my parents' house in Central Ontario. My parents have a hobby farm with assorted animals including some grass-fed cows. Each year they take one cow to the tiny, nearby slaughterhouse to be killed and they eat it in a variety of ways: ribeye, sirloin, as well as some that gets ground for burgers. This meat is dark red and delicious. It needs no more seasoning than a shake of salt and pepper.

I could go on and on about this splendid meal, but in reality, I rarely get to enjoy this. My parents live thousands of kilometres away, and they are very lucky to be able to eat fresh local food. They can purchase eggs and chickens from Mennonite neighbours, and they have plenty of land for a vegetable garden in the summer. Whereas I must make do with my 3' x 10' urban garden and like most folks, I rely on what I can source at a restaurant or at my local supermarket. Since most North Americans get most of their food from a store, meat eaters in particular are eating food which has been processed and packaged by people whom they will never meet.

Which brings me to this article documenting the horrible illness a young woman endured several days after she ate a hamburger infected with E. Coli. She is now paralysed from the waist down. One of her low points was having the doctors put her into a coma for nine weeks to try and stop her violent and endless convulsions. The article uncovers the cause of her illness and traces back all the mishandled situations, oversights and red tape that lay behind the tainted meat. The story gathers up all the bits of meat and other ingredients scraped together to make her hamburger patty, for which the packaging listed only one thing: beef.

The cause of this woman's needless tragedy is simple economics. Cargill (the maker the frozen beef patties), like other large food producers, wants to be a very profitable company. The best way to achieve that is through mass-production and lowering the cost of raw materials and processing methods. The result is that many low-quality meat bits are added together to make a patty, some having been in contact with feces. With such high volume production runs and so many sources of raw ingredients, and other issues like insufficient time to clean equipment, staff do not take the time to properly inspect the patties for pathogens. But that doesn't stop this food from being shipped to grocery stores so they can be purchased by you or me.

Knowing what goes on in the processing factory means that each time you buy frozen patties from a large food corporation, you're taking a low risk gamble that you might eat infected meat. Many of us know that healthier foods are those which are as unprocessed as possible. These are the natural foods which we were designed to eat and they have been touched by few hands and machines, and so we assume they have a lower chance of being infected. These foods may be our safest bet. Because few of us are lucky enough to be able to eat our own beef, to buy the chickens from the lady down the street, or even to eat fruits and vegetables from our own garden.

Each time we go to the grocery store, we must make an informed choice. I know I'm not going to be choosing any ground beef or frozen patties anytime soon. And I will continue to ask lots of questions of my store's butcher and of the companies who try to sell me their products. It's our health at stake and we have the right to know before we hand over our money, or put our health on the line.

Dish of the Day: Pumpkin Cookies

2009-10-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

Yummy!

Fall is definitely here and to our family that means: Bring on Da Pumpkins! We adore pumpkins and squashes in lots of foods, albeit dessert-y ones. Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins and scones. We can't get enough pumpkin!

The pumpkin cookie pictured above is a new recipe I've modified which contains a lot more pumpkin than you normally find in a cookie. Often pumpkin cookies contain lots of sugar, are sometimes iced, and contain twice as much flour as pumpkin. This recipe has almost the same amount of pumpkin as flour. Also, I've used some orange juice concentrate to reduce the amount of sugar used. And I use whole sugar such as Rapadura, jaggery or Sucanut, such as this for example.

Very Pumpkin-y Cookies

1/4 cup butter or coconut oil

2 Tbsp juice concentrate at room temp (melted)

1/2 cup whole sugar

1 egg at room temp

1 tsp vanilla, or dark rum

2/3 cup pumpkin

1 cup sifted spelt flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 and 1/2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom (if you like it)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 cup raisins

In a large bowl, cream butter and then add sugar. Cream until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and then vanilla and pumpkin; mix well.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices together. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until blended.

Add raisins. Place Tablespoon-sized balls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 18 cookies.

Dish of the Day: Chicken n Rice in the Oven

2009-09-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was again bored and feeling uncreative. I had some chicken and that was about it. It was time to search the fridge for leftovers and see how a meal for 4 could be constructed. What I came up with was a saucy baked chicken recipe with rice and leafy greens. Here's how it came together:

- I grabbed some kale from the garden, washed and shredded it and placed in an oven-ready dish with some leftover brown rice.
- I mixed the two together so they were evenly distributed throughout the dish.
- I then took last night's delicious Moroccan Soup, and mixed it with about a cup of chicken broth.
- Meanwhile I was searing the chicken breast and then chopped it up and placed it on the rice mixture.
- Next I poured the soup/broth sauce over everything and ensured that all the kale and chicken was covered in sauce.
- This was placed in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes with aluminum foil on top to keep the heat in.
- I removed the foil, put some shredded cheese on top of the now bubbling dish, turned off the oven and left the dish in for 5 more minutes.
- The dish stood for 5 more minutes on a cooling rack and then we tucked in.

In the photo above, you can see we had a salad on the side. Not a bad meal for being unplanned and using up leftovers.

Dish of the Day: My Green Soup Rocks the House

2009-09-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, so that's a small exaggeration. But the kale that made it green IS such an amazing vegetable and I want to shout it from the rooftops. It's easy to cook with, delicious and nutritious. And you can do it too.

Yesterday I made us all green soup. We were travelling in the US a few days ago and we really needed a burst of fresh vegetables, to combat all that rich, takeout food. I took a pile of leftover vegetables from the fridge, chopped them up, threw them in a pot and covered them with water. Boiled for 10 minutes then cooled them, blended them and reheated and served. Delish!

Here's the recipe, of sorts:

- chop up garlic and onions and add to pot

- chop your vegetables into dice-sized pieces (I used zucchini, kale, carrots, potatoes)

- just cover with water (you want a 1:1 ratio of water to vegetables)

- boil for 10 minutes maximum

- remove from stove and add 1 or 2 vegetable bouillon cubes

- let cool for 10 - 15 minutes

- puree in blender until mixture is completely blended

--> if you use a leafy green your soup will be a vibrant green!

- put pot back on the stove and reheat

- add in 1 or 2 Tbsp of virgin olive oil

- if soup is too watery, simmer for 10 minutes to evaporate extra water

- if soup is too thick, add water or milk or yogurt to make it more creamy

- serve with fresh ground pepper or herbs from the garden

Make yourselves some green soup today and get healthy. I think you'll find this is a quick and easy way to get your vitamins and minerals.

Eat Your Peas, like Mom and Dad

2009-08-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Frank Bruni, the New York Times restaurant critic who recently came out of the closet about being a child bulimic writes a good article in today's paper about children modelling their parents' eating habits.

There are so many studies being done now to try and determine how today's kids are ending up with so many eating disorders. This article suggests that the best predictors for your child having a healthy relationship to food are:

- regularly having family dinners (we see the importance of this lauded everywhere from nutrition papers to child-rearing tomes),

- going grocery-shopping and cooking with your kids, and

- being good role models by exercising and eating well yourselves

It's not rocket science. A little bit of "monkey see, monkey do", and a dash of common sense. My little monkeys have had a fun summer - which definitely included ice cream - but we've always made time for being active, and eating our peas.

Diet, not Exercise, for Weight Loss

2009-08-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

We've been on vacation, so I'm a bit behind on the blogging. A couple of weeks ago TIME Magazine published an article summarising what I've been trying to explain to people for years. Exercise won't make you thin. It what you eat that affects your weight.

I'm going to let the article do the explaining this time, however, let me state unequivocally that I highly value exercise. I've had a hard time fitting regular exercise into my life for the past 22 months, since the last couple of months of my pregnancy. I've had sporadic bursts of energy and time, where I walked 10 km per day, or swam a km or two, or had the pleasure of doing yoga twice per week. But it's not been until the last month that I've had time to regularly dedicate to exercise. And I've been feeling great because of it.

I've been biking to work at least 2 times per week, and getting in the odd 30 minutes exercise class there. I've been doing yoga at least once per week at home, and occasionally participating in my husband's latest obsession, the P90X exercise tapes. I'm starting to feel more toned, and less jiggly in my bits. But I'm not losing weight. I've been the same weight since a week after I gave birth. My weight might fluctuate a few pounds up or down from this setpoint, but when it does, it's almost always due to what I eat. Or, to be more specific, what I overeat. When I come back to normal, or eat piously for a few days, I return to my standard weight.

The best way to maintain a healthy weight throughout your life is to eat a moderate amount of a variety of foods: tons of vegetables, fish and beans, some fruits, and not too many flour-based or starchy foods. That's how our bodies were designed to operate, on a steady flow of healthy fuel. Go out and exercise a bit every day if you can, and push yourself athletically if you're in great shape. But don't expect exercise to solve your weight issues. More often than not, starting an exercise program will create a ravenous appetite that leads us to overeat. And then we're back to square one.

Getting Greens Back on your Dinner Menu

2009-08-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me an interesting link to a story about Washington State chef Sabrina Tinsley who "sneaks vegetables" into her picky daughter's meals. It's not so sneaky; she does get her son and daughter involved in the process of making a vegetable soup with pasta stars. They help shell peas for example which we know is fun and piques kids' interest. But the key step is she purees the soup right before serving so that most of the vegetables' texture is made very bland, but all the delicious flavour is still there. And of course, then she adds in the cute pasta stars.

I think this is a fine idea. My stepmother served me delicious cream of cauliflower soup for years before I clued in to what it was; and was subsequently horrified. But it never gave me an appreciation for vegetables, because it had the boring consistency of all my favourite foods of the time, like rice pudding. It wasn't until I started eating out at nice restaurants during university that I developed an appreciation for vegetables in their natural, un-pureed state.

But I think a better strategy than disguising veggies, is to serve them unapologetically, and routinely at every meal. Tonight we had penne pasta that boiled along with shredded kale. The kale tasted yummy in the tomato-basil sauce and went well with the shredded cheese topping. We also had cucumber slices on the side. Vegetables are all over at plates in this house, and we don't try to disguise them or apologise for their fibrous texture. We like to dip them in dressings, mix them in salads, add them to soups or stews, eat them drizzled in butter. Even a canned soup can get jazzed up by adding spinach, kale, chard or broccoli. It's simple to cook and that's just what we do.

Many people I've talked to whose children "don't like vegetables" often reveal that they are not eating vegetables at lunch and dinner, or they do so rarely. The vegtable choices are often standard: carrots, peas, broccoli, and often are served in a bland way each time. Boring! No wonder kids don't like them. Kids learn by example and if Mom and Dad are uninspired by their veggie portions, then kids are not going to make the effort to like them either.

Go to the grocery store and find a new vegetable you don't typically eat. Serve it with a favourite, tried-and-true sauce or dip. Make it a bit of an adventure: "I wonder what this will taste like!" Or don't even mention it unless somebody asks "oh yeah, that's broccoli rabe with your favourite Naam Miso Gravy". Enjoy it and make it something you look forward to when it makes its way back to your dinner menu every other week or so. Vegetables are just another form of food: neither intrinsically good nor bad. It all depends on how they're prepared and served. Preferably with passion!

Dish of the Day: French Lentil Salad

2009-08-08T21:24:00.001-07:00

French Lentil Salad,
originally uploaded by follepourchocolat.

Back in the 90s I worked at a fancy restaurant in Paris owned by the ex-wife and son of Mr. Eddie Barclay. Perhaps it's more appropriate to say that I ate daily for free at this restaurant, because I did very little work. However I did learn a lot about French cooking and one of the recipes I took home with me was for lentil salad. At "Marie et Fils" they served this with salmon that was lightly cooked - still raw in the middle in fact - but I think the salad does fine all by itself.

This is adapted from the chef's recipe and the main ingredients are, of course, lentils with chopped tomato and cucumber and chives. The lentils are canned (no shame here) and the rest was from my garden. The dressing is olive oil and a mixture of apple cider and white vinegar with a ratio or 3:1 oil to vinegar. I would like to try some white balsamic vinegar next time. And the special ingredient is 2 pieces of cooked crispy bacon. It's also seasoned with salt and pepper. Pretty simple, and very yummy.

Let's All Cook! Our Lives Depend on It.

2009-08-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Once again, the amazing Michael Pollan has written a highly compelling piece about how our relationship to food must change. The article, titled "Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch" ponders how it is that most Americans spend less than 27 minutes per day on food preparation, and instead spend hours watching cooking shows on TV. As he puts it: "What this suggests is that a great many Americans are spending considerably more time watching images of cooking on television than they are cooking themselves — an increasingly archaic activity they will tell you they no longer have the time for."

Another shocking tidbit from his lengthy article is "the more time a nation devotes to food preparation at home, the lower it's rate of obesity....the amount of time spent cooking predicts obesity rates more reliably than female participation in the labor force...income levels or class." This is the kind of stuff that makes my blood boil, when I think of all the McDonald's or KFC advertising targetted to low income families. Their malevolent promise is: "we'll save you time and money so you can give your family delicious comfort food." Meanwhile, these fast food companies are serving up empty calories while leading small children down the path to obesity.

Here at BEYG we make no apologies for being lazy - and not terribly talented - in the kitchen. We won't win any awards when it comes to style or diligence in the kitchen. But our message is always the same: if you want to be healthy, you need to eat meals made from fresh, whole ingredients, as opposed to pre-packaged, convenience foods. You don't need to spend hours in the kitchen to serve up a healthy meal; but you do need start with real food, and some effort will be required.

I'll defer to Michael Pollan's words: "the path to a diet of fresher, unprocessed food...passes straight through the home kitchen." This message is becoming urgent now and we at BEYG want to shout it from the rooftops. Eat food, real food, as much as you require. Take the time to prepare it in a way that is enjoyable, and digestible, for you and your family. But make sure that food came straight from a tree, from out of the ground, from the sea, from a real chicken. That's how we were designed to eat, and eating that way is the only way we will survive.

Dish of the Day: Focaccia Sandwiches

2009-07-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe from Paul and Tami's kitchen. Sandwiches for dinner don't have to be boring if you use fresh ingredients and extra flavourings like a good olive oil or pesto. Start off with good whole grain bread. Look for large round focaccia to make this recipe serve 4. In Vancovuer, try Duso’s or Zara’s at Granville Island Market or Calabria Bakery on Victoria Drive.

Vegetarian Focaccia Sandwiches

You'll need: good quality olive oil; fresh basil leaves (at least 10); red, yellow and green bell peppers (one of each) sliced into thin rings; one jar of marinated artichoke hearts, diced and woody part removed; fresh asiago cheese finely grated.

To build your sandwich; first carefully cut the bread in half and remove top. Then spoon or baste olive oil to cover both sides of the bread. Next place a layer of basil leaves on the bottom half of the sandwich – covering the entire surface. Then layer one colour of the pepper rings first in concentric circles. Almost like the Olympic rings! Then add the next colour. Now carefully fill the spaces between the pepper rings with the diced artichoke hearts. Finally, add the last layer of peppers. Cover with a generous layer of fresh asiago. Top with the bread "lid". Cut the sandwiches into 4 wedges.

Now it is a nice idea to wrap each sandwich up in saran snugly and put in the fridge for an hour or two and allow the flavors to meld. These are wonderful on a picnic, or for dinner with soup. They keep very well.

***Please remember the most important thing in making this sandwich is the bread. It must be fresh, authentic and not crusty.

Enjoy!!!

Salad Days of Summer

2009-07-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

Following my last post on eating summer salads, I came across this article in the New York Times with 101 salad recipes. They're organised by categories such as Vegan, Vegetarian, with Seafood. What a fabulous article; bless the Times once again for their earnest (and often delicious), cerebral journalism.

To whet your appetite, here are just a few of the salads featured:
- Grilled eggplant with toasted pita, white beans, pine nuts and cherry tomatoes
- Cherries in a balsamic dressing with hazelnuts and radicchio
- Arugula with cold whole wheat penne, lemon zest and olive oil
- Vidalia onions with seared skirt steak, roasted red peppers and salad greens

These salads are epicurean meals unto themselves. We at BEYG may not have the time to make some of the more involved recipes but we're sure tempted and inspired to try many.

Cheers to not cooking dinner!

2009-07-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's been unseasonably hot here in Vancouver and I can't bear to cook over the stove. Plus, with an unruly mess of vegetables growing out back, we can't help but build our meals lately around big salads. Here are some of the combinations I've been putting together:

- Leaf lettuce, green onion, baby corn, colourful bell peppers, fresh peas and radishes
- Homemade caesar dressing with Romaine leaves, artichoke hearts, capers, and bacon (veggie or piggie)
- Romaine or other firm leaves with hard boiled egg, potato, tuna, green beans, olive and green onion
- Any lettuce with baby chard, blanched and chopped kale, chunks of cheese, chick peas and cucumbers
- Mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, and nuts or seeds (pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans or walnuts
- Spinach with peppers, bean sprouts, BC blueberries and chopped pecans or walnuts

And to any of the above, I love to throw in delicious sunflower greens. At our farmer's marketthere is a local guy who sells them by the bag and they are so nutty and delicious. I've tried to grow sunflower greens myself but they're a bit fiddly, and I'd rather pay the $5 to this dedicated urban farmer who grows them far better than I could.

Guest Blogger: Handheld Tortillas

2009-07-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

My friend Tami is mostly vegan and knows her way around the kitchen. She wanted to respond to my taco post with one of her own recipes. There's lots of room for flexibility and customisation here. Tami makes them side-by-side in the kitchen with her husband so they're like a Taco Tag Team. Take it away Tami!

Caroline: Here's a variation of your taco recipe and one we have often. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and use your creativity in the kitchen. These are delicious and nutritious and the only real learning curve is the assembly part.

Sunshine Handheld Tortillas

Start with,
1. whole wheat tortillas
2. frozen tofu, thawed, with all water squeezed out, then cuised to a "ground round" consistency, (we usually have leftover "tofu ground round" from a previous dish (e.g. Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese) as we only use up half of it in a recipe at once.
3. cooked brown rice

- Saute up onion, garlic, peppers, fresh diced tomato, add the brown rice and then stir in the "tofu ground round"
- Scramble up a couple of eggs in a separate pan and add them to your rice mixture.
- Cover, set aside and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, put on a large pot of cold water with a pinch of sugar in it and add 3 cobs of fresh sweet corn to the cold water, then bring to a boil. Once the corn has boiled for a couple of minutes, take it off the heat and let stand in the water. Whenever you are ready remove the corn from the pot of water and cut the kernels off the cob and place in small dish.

All items below (or your substitute fillings) should be prepped and in front of you before you begin.
- fresh corn
- chunky fresh salsa (it is generally easy to find a good store bought one)
- grated Jack cheese
- chopped cilantro
- plain yogurt

Warm the tortillas one at a time in a pan and lay them out flat in the centre of your work surface. First place some of the rice in the middle of the wrap and flatten. Then put all your remaining ingredients on top of the filling - the fresh corn, salsa, cheese, cilantro and a drizzle of yogurt. Don't overfill; the ingredients should form a long sausage shape down the centre of the tortilla. Then fold up the bottom of the wrap, about 2 ½ inches over the filling, fold right side next to cover the filling, then pull over the left side of the wrap to complete. Next put a toothpick or an hors d'oeuvre pick in the centre towards the top of the wrap, plate it and eat as a hand held.

Other fillings to try: diced mushrooms, meatless chicken strips, leftover cooked red potatoes cut up, refried beans, avocado or whatever you fancy.

Enjoy!

Dish of the Day: Pasta with Yogurt Cream Sauce

2009-07-08T20:19:00.001-07:00

kitchen,
originally uploaded by me.

The above pic is to show you what my kitchen looks like after I've cooked dinner, and before my wonderfully amazing husband cleans it up. Hopefully you can derive some satisfaction - as some do when watching Reality TV - such as "Phew....that's not my life!"

Tonight we had fresh pasta (asparagus and cheese ravioli) with kale, basil and a garlicky cream sauce. I do enjoy cream sauce but when it's made with real cream it's often too heavy for my liking. And it is summer. So I threw together a lighter yogurt sauce that you can do quickly, and customise it to your taste.

The Italian in me says all recipes should start with this first step:

- chop some garlic, throw in a pan and brown in olive oil for a couple of minutes

- bring a large pot of water to boil

- throw in your pasta and veggies (we used fresh kale and put it in for 2 minutes then added in fresh pasta that boiled for 4 more minutes)

- when cooked to your liking, dump pasta and veggies out of pot into a colander

- turn off heat and place pot back on the stove

- add yogurt to taste into the warm pot (I used 1 cup for 3 servings and this was too creamy for my liking; I'd use more like 1/2 to 2/3 cup next time)

- add in shredded or grated cheese, such as Parmagiano, to taste, about 2-4 Tablespoons

- place the pasta and veggies back into the pot and mix gently to coat with the yogurt mixture

- now place a dollop (1 Tbsp or so) of butter into the olive oil/garlic pan and warm it up until butter foams slightly

- meanwhile place the pasta on the plates

- remove garlic pan from heat and swirl the oil around several times and drizzle the contents over each plate of pasta

- top with chopped fresh herbs, salt and pepper and serve

Dish of the Day: Garden Soup

2009-07-06T22:01:00.001-07:00

Garden Soup,
originally uploaded by me.

Tonight's dinner included soup made almost entirely from food from our garden. The only exceptions are garlic (which I must plant next year) and chick peas, both obtained from the Portuguese grocers next door. How's that for fresh and local?

This soup was made by heating up 2 tablespoons of olive oil and adding chopped shallots to taste, then chopped garlic and stirring them for 2 minutes. I then added 2 cups of water and a roughly chopped tomato, and 2 handfuls of finely chopped kale. I simmered this on medium for 5 minutes, then added in 1 handful of chopped Swiss Chard, and some chick peas and simmered for a few more minutes. Right before serving I added chopped basil and chives.

Have a look in your garden or vegetable drawer and try throwing them into a soup with the addition of your favourite spices for a quick and healthy meal.

Dish of the Day: Soft Tacos

2009-06-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

Summer's here and who wants to use the oven? I sauteed and chopped up this dinner in under 10 minutes. Veggie ground round went into a skillet, with some onion and spices. I then chopped up:
- lettuce
- red and green peppers
- tomatoes
- green onions

I also opened up a can of beans, and set the table with salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese. Everyone had lots of options to customise their taco, and yes it was pretty messy. But a good time was had by all and we ate a very balanced meal.

Aspartame - is that a vegetable?

2009-06-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is a link to a good Q. and A. column in the Globe and Mail focussed on answering the public's health questions. The answer to the question "Is Aspartame Harmful?" is measured. One the one hand, two researchers with ties to the artificial sweetener industry have recently published studies saying there's nothing wrong with it. On the other, a doctor's recent study (he has no ties to the sweetener industry) did find links between aspartame consumption and neurological disorders.

Common sense should make us naturally skeptical of consuming items that are not foods we'd consume in the wild; for example: sugar and other sweeteners, salt, alcohol, manufactured fats like margarine, drugs, or tobacco. Yet because we like, even crave, these non-foods, we keep finding ways to rationalise that they are, in fact, safe. It's very important to be curious and cautious about consuming non-foods and to continue to study them, while acknowledging that food studies are very hard to quantify. Subjects are not locked in rooms for months on end and fed a strict diet, and most of the facts gleaned from these studies come from the subjects self-reporting most of what they ate and drank throughout the study period.

Roll the dice if you like, but I'm not gambling on my health or my that of my family. We are given only one body for our entire lifetime and I'd like to keep mine in optimal condition, by avoiding potential impurities as much as possible.

Dish of the Day: Cucumbers!!!

2009-06-18T20:21:00.001-07:00

Today we harvested the very first cucumber from our garden. It was big, juicy and delicious. We didn't dip this baby, as it was so yummy that everyone was happy to chomp on it without any added flavouring.

Since we have 2 more cukes on the way and about a dozen little stubs that will soon be big and juicy like this one, we're going to need to get creative about how we eat them. I'm thinking:
- lots of Greek salad
- cucumber, tomato and chickpea salad
- cucumber added to summer couscous
- cucumber raita
- cucumber martinis, and cucumber gin and tonics, and cucumbers and soda with Pimm's No 1 Cup (not for the whole family of course)

Does anyone have any other good ideas...?

Baby Shells Peas

2009-06-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

One of the most accessible vegetables for children is peas in a pod because they are a fun shape, don't need to be washed or cooked and they can be opened and eaten by even the smallest of hands. My Bug loves to "help Mommy!" in the kitchen and so I plopped her down in front of an empty bowl. I broke open each organic (no pesticides) pea pod and asked her to "put them in the bowl". She did a great job and really enjoyed doing something all by herself.

I ended up making a whole wheat pasta in a light olive oil and garlic sauce with shrimp, red peppers, broccoli and peas, and fresh basil and coriander from the garden.

In Defense of Food

2009-06-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like regret. A sad emotion that can't be changed because what caused it is in the past, and cannot be undone. I have huge regret that I missed Michael Pollan's appearance at the nearby UBC Farm last Saturday. I can't even remember what we did on Saturday but it probably wasn't anywhere near as exciting as hearing this very knowledgeable man speak.

Check out Pollan's latest book, In Defense of Food. His words are clear and logical and his message is being echoed around the world. The idea of eating the food our great-grandparents ate is what I was taught in my studies on holistic nutrition and is simply a return to common sense, but it's becoming a battlecry taken up by all kinds of food and health advocates all over the world.

Alice Waters, Michelle Obama, the Slow Food Movement, are all saying the same thing: Eat real, unprocessed food, from not too far away, maybe from your own backyard. It's a message we must heed, if not for the sake of our environment, then at least for own health.

"We must cultivate our garden" - Candide

2009-06-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

From the French: "Il faut cultiver notre jardin."

In his novel 'Candide', Balzac concluded his fantastical tale with his protagonist offering sage advice for what felt like dire times. It was Europe in the mid-1700s, and this pragmatic response of "let's just focus on our own affairs", was a sensible reaction to the intense optimism of a very difficult period in history.

Taken literally, "we must cultivate our garden" feels like pretty good advice for right now, too. With food prices rising ever higher and food security issues popping up more frequently in the news ("Bagged Spinach E. Coli Outbreak"), now is the perfect to be growing food right in our own backyards. And for families who want to encourage their children to eat more vegetables, there's no better way to pique their interest than by getting them involved in the act growing and cooking green foods. My Bug isn't even 18 months old, but she loves getting her hands in the dirt and touching the green leaves. My 7-year-old wasn't so keen on lettuce until her father and I exclaimed how yummy our own lettuce is; she's now a big fan.

My small patch of garden is thriving, much to my surprise, and the enjoyment of my kids. It's only the beginning of June and yet each day this week we've eaten something from it: a mix of lettuces for a salad, Romaine leaves for Caesar salad, wilted kale leaves with olive oil and balsamic, and Swiss chard with lentils and tomato sauce.

There's nothing simpler than cutting something from the garden and bringing it inside to wash and season. And I'm living proof that it's easy to grow something, even if you've never done so before. There are so many resources available online, from the whimsical yougrowgirl.com, to the seriously informative Better Homes and Gardens website. Do a search on "vegetable gardening" and your region and you'll find many resources to help you start something growing right now, whether it's a patch of lettuce in the backyard or cherry tomatoes in a container on your balcony.

I'm taking comfort in these trying times by cultivating my own garden, and eating the fruits of my labour is my sweet reward.

The Long Lost Art of Cooking

2009-06-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

There was a great article in last weekend's New York Times called "Commander in Chef" which talked about Michelle Obama's plans for getting American families to eat more healthfully. Most people know that early this spring they broke ground for a vegetable garden at the White House but this article points out that Americans need help when it comes to what to do with those raw vegetables.

Raw Food enthusiasts would say "What do you need to do? Wash them and eat them!" but some of us like a bit more variety in our meals, like cooked vegetables, sauces and non-vegetable items.

The author pointed out that Americans ate takeout for 128 of their meals in 2008 and since the economic downturn and McDonald's recent surge in profits, it's pretty safe to assume that those meals were mostly fast food. Another worrying statistic quoted that 42% of the foods brought home from the grocery store were packaged and processed rather than fresh. The convenience foods industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Since I'm currently trying to watch our family's spending, I'm very reluctant to give money to companies whose mass-produced meals mean less nutrition for my family.

Most folks do need help for how to cook and Food Bloggers are here to help you. Take a look at the many recipes and Dish of the Day links on the right-side of this very page! And there are hundreds of recipe sites, such as the high brow epicurious.com, the something for everyone recipezaar.com, or the eco-conscious VegetarianTimes.com.

Judging by this summer's newest cookbooks, there are many of us out there longing for a return to simpler times when cooking and eating together was the norm, rather than a rarity. Titles such as "RATIO: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" by Michael Ruhlman and "A HOMEMADE LIFE: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table" by Molly Wizenberg are but a few titles by authors who want to help us get back to basics and enjoy the simple pleasures of eating and socialising with friends.

Spring Cleaning for the Body: Part 2

2009-05-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Although they are often talked about interchangeably, there's a big difference between a cleanse and a fast. A fast involves reducing the intake of calories so that your body goes into starvation mode and starts breaking down its fat stores to turn them into glucose, or fuel. A cleanse is typically eliminating items from the diet that are "unhealthy", undesirable, or non-food, and focussing on nutrient-rich foods, for the purpose of improving one's health.

Two common misconceptions about cleanses are that they are rigid, difficult or expensive to maintain, or that a cleanse or fast will medically purge or purify parts of the body (e.g. liver or digestive tract). Regarding the first, you can design your own cleanse in a way to make it pleasant and easy to follow. Regarding the second, more realistic outcomes of doing a cleanse are to break oneself from poor eating habits, to bring greater awareness to one's eating behaviours, and to have intense dedication to optimal nutrition for a short period of time.

How do you design a cleanse that you can stick to for 3 days or more? Choose first what you want to eliminate from your diet. Do you believe that you are having difficulty digesting dairy products? Are you eating too many desserts? Want to cut down on refined flours and coffee? Make a list of what you'd like to not eat or drink and decide on how long a period you'll try to stick to this.

Some ideas for cleanses:
- no sugar for a week
- no coffee from Friday to Sunday then back to just one on Monday morning
- eliminate all dairy products for a whole week
- no flours or starchy foods or sugar for an entire weekend
- go without meat products from Monday to Friday
- do a juice fast over the weekend; that's consuming only fresh or purchased juices and is best with a focus on vegetable juices and fresh juice (i.e. not store-bought)
- go macrobiotic for one week (fish, vegetables, brown rice and fermented foods)

What you might see during a cleanse:
- any change to what you take into your body will affect what comes out. Expect to see a change in bowel movements. Watch out for red-coloured urine if you drink beet juice. It's shocking to see but perfectly normal.
- bodily changes such as skin, nails or hair that is less dry or brittle
- a smaller tummy. If you're eating less or different food, you may find that your stomach is smaller and flatter. This is due to either having less in it or less gas production from the elimination of problem foods for you.
- a bigger tummy from more gas. This can be an unpleasant side-effect of eating more vegetables or raw foods in your diet. If you continue to have problems with gas, this means you are having difficulty digesting these foods, due to not chewing your food enough, or you may be lacking in sufficient enzymes or gut bacteria to break down your food properly.
- weight loss. If you greatly reduce your caloric intake, you may see a loss of a few pounds. Unless you continue to eat in the same way, it's likely that all but one or two pounds will return when your diet normalises.

Some important things to remember when doing a cleanse:
1. Take notice of all that you're feeling/thinking and keep a journal. This is the most important thing you can do. We spend so much time cooking/eating/thinking about/cleaning up after food. Often a cleanse means you are eating or preparing less food, and this often frees up lots of time for reflection. Being away from comfort foods also can create a lot of unexpected emotions and it's good to be able to capture this information, as it may tell you a lot about your relationship to food.
2. Have a buddy or a supporter. It's hard to make a dietary change on your won, especially if you make food for others who may not be as interested in doing a cleanse. Make sure you have people to talk to who support your idea.
3. Drink lots of water in between meals. This will help you feel more full if you're eating less than usual, but will also make sure you are staying hydrated, help to keep things moving in your system and flush out any toxins.
4. Eat slowly. If you're going to be eating a lot of vegetables for the first time, make sure you chew well to aid with digestion further down the line. If you're doing a juice cleanse, you will want to drink slowly so your meals don't end in less than 5 minutes.
5. Don't do a cleanse when you have a lot of social engagements. It's tough to restrict your diet at a party or when eating out, especially as others often see this as a time to indulge in rich foods.
6. When the cleanse is over, reincorporate the "forbidden foods" slowly into your diet. If you were doing a juice cleanse, slowly start back on eating solids with foods like cooked rice, cooked vegetables or crackers or toast. You may find that you don't want to bring some of the foods you eliminated back into your diet at all.

Hide the Dark Chocolate from the Children!

2009-05-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes being a parent brings out the kid in me. Even though I'm an adult, I still have trouble sharing my favourite things; especially my chocolate. Back when the Bug was 12 months old, in the spirit of sharing all my food with her, I gave her a small piece of 85% Venezuelan chocolate. She let it dissolve on her tongue for about a minute and then "bleaahhh!" Out came her tongue and the small dark blob plopped back onto the high chair tray. I breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank god she doesn't like the good stuff!"

But lately, I've been working my way through my Mother's Day chocolate so I can get back to a "Very Healthy Eating" phase, and consequently I've been eating some of it in front of her. Almost any child instinctively knows that a shiny package contains something good so the Bug kept begging for a bite of my Lindt 90% bar. I relented, while reassuring her "you don't like this, trust me". And darn it if she hasn't developed a taste for the stuff.

She hesitated at first, but then kept saying "nummy!" over and over. She even snagged a huge piece while I wasn't looking and that's when I started to snap some photos. After these photos were taken I realised that she had eaten a lot of chocolate considering her naptime was in 15 minutes. And the noise coming from upstairs now lets me know that I have made a grave mistake. Don't give the kids the good chocolate. And especially not before bedtime. Live and learn.......

Dish of the Day: Rhubarb Compote

2009-05-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung for sure when rhubarb makes its poky appearance in the grocery's produce department. My husband loves rhubarb so I had to bring some home. We boiled it in a small pot with a bit of water until it fell apart, then added a bit of SomerSweet and put it in the fridge to chill.

After dinner last night we served it warm over vanilla ice cream and I cut some fresh mint on top of mine. Yum!

Dish of the Day: Lamb for the Whole Fam

2009-05-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day my wonderful husband cooked us a delicious lamb dinner, thanks to a great lamb chop recipe from Epicurious. I couldn't remember if the kids liked lamb or not since we often eat it out at restaurants, and don't often cook it at home. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the photo of the Bug with chop in hand above should give you a pretty good idea of her appreciation. Let's just say it was hard to separate the bone from my little carnivore's hand. My 7-year-old was heard to comment "I could eat this every day of the week!"

The other pic shows Bug's plate before it was attacked by toddler hands and a toddler fork. Our local Safeway has recently been offering organic broccolini , that yummy hybrid, and we're eating it three times a week now. And good old garlic-infused rice on the side.

We're a garlicky bunch this evening. But what a pleasure, to be able to enjoy a special grown-up meal and not have to cook something extra for the little ones. Eating foods in a natural way - without heavy sauces, without overly processing them - is a great way to win over kids' taste buds. Children are often skeptical of foods they cannot recognise, and many have problems with sauces that may contain ingredients they don't like. Also, many kids don't like foods touching or being combined with other foods, which is why stews and casseroles tend to elicit a "yuck!" But fresh foods, cooked plainly and served with maybe a bit of butter, are often a real hit. Try it and see what your family thinks!

Spring Cleaning for the Body: Part 1

2009-05-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

Fasts and cleanses are all the rage these days as people want to take more responsibility for keeping their bodies healthy. We no longer want to just rely on the medical profession to keep our health in check and this is a great change. I've always found it strange how some folks seem to take better care of a car they will own for only a few years, instead of tenderly treating their bodies well so they'll last a lifetime.

Nutritionists often get asked about the difference between a fast and a cleanse and how they can restore their health. Many inquirers have heard stories of how the intestines can get filled up with crusty old bits of rotten food - even coins and marbles swallowed in childhood! I take a calm approach to these questions and say "this scenario is unlikely". If your digestion is average, if you do not have critical health problems, and you are young to middle-aged, your intestines likely look a lot like a more familiar part of your body: your mouth. The intestines are not a mysterious cavern, they're a warm wet place filled with epithelial cells whose job are to digest small particles of broken down food. Just like the inside of your mouth.

I had the (mis?)fortune to see the inside of my colon with my own eyes a few years back when I was having unexplained digestive difficulties. I had taken a magnesium drink to clear out the colon before the medical exam and I was looking forward to being knocked unconscious so I wouldn't have to feel, see or hear any part of the experience. However, the doctor allowed me to witness the proceedings which was actually a thrill. It was oddly like watching a roller-coaster ride film through the inside of my large intestine, but the wonderful part was seeing all the bright pink healthy tissue inside this flexible and hard-working tube. Even though normally one's colon would be filled with the last stages of undigested food which millions of tiny microflora (healthy bacteria) would be breaking down, there is simply nowhere for crusty bits of "food" to hide. The moist smooth walls would let it pass on out to the bowels.

So let's return to a more familiar picture: imagine the inside of your mouth, minus the teeth. If you ate three times a day but never cleaned your mouth at all, would crusty bits of food, or a coin have any place to lodge themselves? Even if a coin got stuck in your throat, eventually digestive juices and the act of eating and swallowing would pass it further down the tube. Healthy intestines have no pouches or hiding spots and the act of peristalsis (two types of muscles that squeeze and push food along the digestive pathway) keep things moving. Of course it's another matter if you have polyps, bowel constriction or some other severe problem, in which case you should look to solving the root of the problem before attempting any type of diet change.

The point is, our bodies do a great job of functioning properly, even when we fill them with a lot of things that they weren't designed to turn into fuel, such as candy or deep fried foods. However, if you're interested in doing a fast or a cleanse to kick-start a change to your diet for the better, then you should be applauded for your efforts.

Next week we'll talk about easy ways to follow a dietary cleanse that will involve fewer changes than you might expect.

How Does my Garden Grow?

2009-05-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

I am in awe of the plants in my garden. I've tried to make a hospitable space for them, but it's tough for me to imagine how dirt could possibly be a nice place to inhabit. They seem to like it though - and thank goodness! I've told enough people that I've planted a food garden and my reputation is on the line. Since all I've ever done to-date is kill plants, inadvertently of course, the slow, steady growth of green things in my backyard is truly a miracle to me.

We've planted beans, peas, cucumbers, lettuces, kale, chard, onions, mint and chives. So far, every one if them is getting bigger, and I'm pretty sure this is a good sign! I think I need to start clipping these lettuces for don't they look juicy? I don't want them to get old and dry. As for the rest of the stuff, it's going to take a little while before they are kitchen-ready. But we're educating the kids on where their food comes from, and they seem to be enjoying watching the process thus far.

There are necessarily going to be a lot of summer vegetable recipes on the blog, coming soon. I'd be so happy to hear any ideas and suggestions that readers would like to share, since I'm looking at a steep learning curve here, as a gardener. Bring on the sun and the rain. My leafy friends need it!

The Zen of Backyard Gardening

2009-04-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

I have some optimistic ideas this spring. We're planning to do a small vegetable garden in our backyard, now that we have a backyard. I'm incredibly ignorant of the entire gardening world and there's a huge learning gap I need to fill, and fast.

Since it's a long weekend I thought I'd get out there and get a headstart. It's been a rainy couple of days and I decided to do some digging in the beds, to see what the soil is like. I turned over a few shovelfuls and right away I see some lovely plump worms - which I've just chopped in two with the shovel's blade. Gasp!

How do Buddhists garden? Perhaps they turn over the soil with their fingers. Somehow I don't picture extreme Buddhists doing a lot of heavy lifting, nor getting particularly dirty. But I put out the question to the blogosphere. How does one garden without turning the activity into "Saw V" for our little wormy friends? Or is this just part of the whole deal?

Diet for a Recession? More Veggies, Please!

2009-03-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I'm certainly watching what we're spending at the grocery store lately. We are trying to keep an eye on our savings and so I'm afraid to be spending too much on food. Typically it's one of the bigger chunks of our weekly budget, because I always rationalise putting unnecessary items in the grocery basket with one word: yum.

When I go shopping just for vegetables, as I do sometimes at a nearby organic veggie-only store, I find that the total is usually pretty low. By contrast, when we buy meats or fish in a specialty shop, or when they are part of a big grocery bill, the total is a lot higher. Animal products tend to be more expensive. So if you're trying to save on your food bills, and you've always wanted to explore vegetarianism, this might be the perfect time to try it out.

An example of a low-cost, yet completely nutritious vegetarian meal I'll be making this week is Swiss chard with lentils. I paid $3 for the organic chard, $1 for a can of crushed tomatoes and I'll be using about a dollar's worth of brown rice and dried red lentils as well. That's about $6 for a meal for four.

Of course, it calls for garlic, onions, spices and olive oil and these add to the cost but they are staples in my kitchen so I don't factor them as an added expense for this meal. In fact, I often modify how I cook dishes according to what I have in the fridge so I don't have to shop for items I'll use only once or twice.

Here's how to make Swiss Chard Lentil Stew

- Put 1 Tbsp of olive oil in large pan on medium heat and saute 2 chopped garlic cloves and a small diced onion for 5 minutes
- Add in 1 cup of red lentils and 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of broth (of your choice) and bring to a boil
- Meanwhile, wash and rip Swiss Chard leaves into pieces that are a couple of inches across
- Chop 2 inches off bottom of stems and the rest into one inch chunks
- Place large pot of water to boil on the stove and add in chard stems
- Once water is boiling, add in ripped leaves and boil for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside
- Back to those lentils.....boil until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes, then add in a small can of crushed tomatoes, 1 tso dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper and the cooked, drained chard
- Stir, bring to a simmer and stir and simmer for 5 minutes until lentils are soft enough
- Adjust seasonings to taste: if you like tart, you can add in 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar; for spicy add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce; for savoury add in 1 Tbsp soya or tamari sauce
- Serve over brown rice for a vegetarian meal with complete protein

Acidic Diets - Don't Get Burned

2009-03-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

Alright, I'd like to stand up and admit I have a problem. Now that I am doing double duty as working mom and stay-at-home mom I am relying on frozen entrees to save me time on dinners. And lunches at work are sometimes provided during lunch hour meetings or when I get a quick minute to run to the cafeteria. Let's just say that finding leafy green vegetables is a near-impossibility. I'm eating a lot of foods that aren't fresh, a lot of meats and breads.

These foods have an acidic effect on the body when they are broken down and digested. This means that what they break down into are molecules with a low pH, and an excess of these can slightly alter your body's pH to be more acidic. This is a problem because our bodies ideal pH is slightly on the alkaline side. When we become more acidic, our body's processes don't run as effectively and some believe this can cause us to become sick.

You know that craving you get when you have a cold and you can't wait to gulp down a huge glass of orange juice? That's your body sending out a message for more alkaline foods. Orange juice, when absorbed by the digestive system, provides alkaline (higher pH) molecules. When people get colds, their bodies typically become acidic and eating or drinking alkaline foods can often make them feel much better. This is one of the reasons Vitamin C (an alkaline-producing vitamin) is recommended for colds. A swig of very alkaline-producing apple cider vinegar, while horrible-tasting can instantly make you feel better when you have that achey acidic feeling.

Right now I'm really craving some fruits and vegetables to get back into a more alkaline mood. I know that I don't have a lot of spare time in my schedule so I'm going to have to do a grocery run that gets me some "green foods" which can easily be prepared and gobbled up by the Bug and me. I want items that can be added to soups, sandwiches, or go into quick salads. I'm looking for veggies that are easy to cook, and fruits I can peel, cut up and store in glass containers in the fridge for easy snacking. Here's my shopping list:

- frozen spinach
- kale
- Swiss Chard
- Brussels sprouts
- blood red oranges
- mangoes or papaya
- pineapple
- watercress
- mixed greens
- hothouse tomatoes
- avocadoes

Hopefully you, too, can use these suggestions to keep your own diet on the alkaline side, without being a slave to the stove.

Tony Horton is a (Fitness) God

2009-02-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

Since giving birth to an infant, I've really found myself without too much time to do anything, including exercise. One late night before Christmas I succumbed to the siren's call of an info-mercial for the 10 Minute Trainer. It promised to send me a series of DVDs to help get me in shape for only 10 minutes per day. It promised to be easy, effective and fun. And it's all true. In fact, it's better than I could have imagined.

I believe that what you put into your body is critically important to your health. Exercise is also very important for improving health. When most people these days are so busy, it can be very difficult to fit exercise into their schedules. I think that Tony Horton's exercise programs offer busy people fun, safe, and effective ways to exercise at home and get in great shape.

I've seen many exercise-at-home programs before and it's very hard for trainers to demonstrate complicated exercises to people who are new to physical activity. Many trainers do not show modifications for people of differing ability or their explanations leave out key safety tips. But these videos manage to do all this and also get viewers moving and working out multiple parts of their bodies at the same time. I'm a very happy customer!

The website Horton uses to promote his many exercise videos such as Hip Hop Abs, P90 and P90X also offer a nutrition section that features recipes, tips, and demos ensuring that folks don't rely only on physical exercise to lose weight and become healthier. It's a well-thought-out program, compelling and easy-to-follow. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to start exercising safely and effectively from home. Now if I could just find those ten minutes for exercising every day...

Healthy Lunch To Go

2009-02-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

I've made the jump back into the "real world" and I've been test-driving my new bento boxes, with moderate success. It does require extra effort to pack and carry your lunch from home, but it's manageable. Since my going to work means that the Bug has to go to daycare, I'm already required to pack her lunch, so it's only a tiny bit more work to make a larger version for myself.

I've been keeping the bentos on the counter and ready to fill while I make dinner. As each dinner dish becomes ready I take a small portion and place it in Bug's or my bento. Of course, some dinner dishes aren't easily ported to lunch the next day, such as tonight's Japanese noodle soup. But I have enough scraps around the house to piece together a lunch menu for the two of us. I'll be giving us bread and cheese, whole wheat crackers, some Barbara's Blueberry Fig Newton's, leftover broccoli, avocado, grapes, oranges, tofu, and a tin of fish spread just for me.

My biggest challenge has been remembering to buy enough food for 6 meals, instead of the regular 4 (for me, husband, Bug and her sister). Although I'm sure each week will take an extra shot of effort in planning my menus, grocery shopping strategically and cooking and storing, it's become easier with the help of this lovely blogger, Biggie and her Lunch in a Box website. I suspect she's one of those women with time management skills coming out the ying-yang, but I must politely envy her cook's skills.

Not All Vegetables Are Created Equal(ly)

2009-02-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

Ah 'tis sad but true, just like not all men are created equally. Some of you may be interested to know which vegetables pack the most bang for your buck. Thankfully the intrepid folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have published an article in this month's Nutrition Action Newsletter where they rank veggies by how much they offer in the way of nutrients, fibre and a few other targets. Read the whole article: Rating Rutabagas.

The top winners are, not surprisingly, leafy greens, squashes and root vegetables with skin on. Here are the Top Ten:
1. Kale
2. Cooked Spinach
3. Collard greens
4. Turnip greens
5. Swiss chard
6. Raw Spinach
7. Canned Pumpkin
8. Mustard greens
9. Sweet potato (with skin)
10. Raw Radicchio
11. Raw Broccoli (almost a 10!)

If you're wondering why cooked vegetables are higher on the list than raw, it's because cooking (as well as other methods of preparation such as fermentation) eliminates or kills off some of the enzymes that inhibit your body's ability to digest the vegetable's nutrients. That's always been the argument for me against going raw more than 30% of the time, apologies to the Raw Foodies out there. My poor digestive tract can't handle a lot of raw foods, and I know I'm not alone.

Now there are Raw chefs out there like the wonderfully talented Aaron Ash at Gorilla Foods who can take a humble kale leaf and turn it into a tantalising dish, and I try to get down to this restaurant as often as I can. But, I can also make do with a more ordinary way to pack my diet full of nutrients. Just cook me some leafy greens with a bit of butter and mmm-mmm, yum, I'm happy inside and out.

Blissful Bento Box Beneficiary

2009-02-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

Today a dear friend who knows I'm returning to work soon gifted me with the cutest, sweetest, little bento box, above. Apparently, there is a growing movement of folks who are taking homemade lunches to work in these tidy containers, thereby ensuring they have a healthy lunch to eat each day.

Being a Japanese phenomenon originally, the contents are supposed to be aesthetically-pleasing and small, and I'm not sure I'll be able to equal some folks out there. However, the concept of last night's healthy dinner repackaged in a cute and cheerful lunchbox sounds like a great way to get inspired about eating leftovers. There's not much inspiration in sitting down to a scratchy old Tupperware container that holds day-old sloppy pasta.

Many folks find that taking a "bagged" lunch to work is a cheaper way to get through the week, but it can also be a way to ensure you're eating the type of food you'd prefer to ingest each day. My workplace has a cafeteria which while subsidised, tends to offer food that's mostly processed, frozen, breaded, or fried. If only I could eat at Electronic Arts' lovely EA Cafe where my husband gets to eat healthy, delicious food each day. Yep, I'm soooo happy for him.

So this cute little bento is going to be an attractive and very practical kitchen accessory. I want to thank my dear friend for this wonderful and encouraging gift, and I pledge to fill my pretty bento with an array of delicious and nutritious goodies in the weeks to come. I'll keep you updated on the results, especially if it might help others spice up their own workday lunches.

Eating for Optimal Health

2009-01-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

A friend has requested some posts on gluten-free diets but before I do that I need to step back and talk about optimal nutrition, of which being gluten-free is an important part. Thus begins a series of posts on eliminating processed foods and sugars, and we will then specifically deal with the issue of gluten.

My mother was diagnosed with Celiac disease years ago which is an inability to digest food because the small intestine has been damaged by gluten, a protein formed when wheat flours come into contact with water. When people with Celiac go "gluten-free" or stop eating gluten, their intestines can begin to heal and they can start digesting their food properly. This requires the elimination of breads, pastas and anything made with processed grains, i.e. flour.

Another remedy for intestinal problems that emerged in the 1960s is called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which eliminates complex sugars and starches from the diet. The only allowable sugars are those naturally occurring in honey, fruits or milk. The SCD has been found to cure or aid a number of diseases such as Crohn's, IBS and Colitis.

A similar way of eating for health is Dr. Atkins "Revolutionary" Diet which calls for the elimination of complex carbohydrates (flours, sugars, starches) from the diet until maximum weight loss is achieved. Then certain carbs can be consumed until weight gain recurs and this demonstrates the allowable amount of carbs in that person's diet for the perfect balance.

Is this starting to sound repetitive? The common culprit in all the above dietary solutions is processed foods and sugars. If you were to live in a bountiful place just outside of "civilisation" where there were no grocery stores or food manufacturers, you might eat some grains you grew in a field. But the majority of your diet would come from meat and dairy from animals you farmed or caught and fruits and vegetables you grew or picked yourself. You would very likely not be overweight and would not have diabetes, cardiovascular disease or other diseases plaguing most people in the developed world.

This is not just my subjective opinion, because many scientists have catalogued the health of indigenous people all over the world who were free of diseases until people from developed nations moved in and brought with them their processed foods and drinks. Shortly thereafter, the indigenous people became ill and started to suffer from new diseases. This is the case with Canada's First Nations people who are now hugely at risk for diabetes, also for the Sioux and Pima Indians in the Southern US. Many medical experts are still muddling about trying to determine why these indigenous people became so fat and theorising that they're now sedentary since we pushed them onto reservations. But the most impactful change they've undergone is a drastic change to their diet. Read more about how the introduction of processed foods to indigenous peoples' diets has desecrated their health as documented by Dr. Weston Price in the 1930s, the studies discussed in Uffe Ravnskov's Cholesterol Myths, and many other studies can be found in medical journals.

While most of the medical profession is still fixated on telling us to eliminate saturated fats from our diet, they all must concede that elimination of processed carbohydrates from the diet (not green vegetables) leads to weight and fat loss. And while fat loss may not be everyone's goal, good health certainly should be. The most popular diseases today generally present alongside individuals who are overweight. Doctors are recommending weight loss to reduce their risk of disease and so obesity and overweight themselves seem to be predictors of disease.

They are looking at the problem backwards. What is causing us to be overweight is what's also causing these diseases: diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and more. What helps us to reduce weight also helps us regain our health, and our #1 enemy should be processed foods. We've existed for millions of years eating foods from animals, and plants, and we've only recently begun turning plant and grass seeds into the bulk of our diet (as flours) and our health has suffered drastically in this same period. I think it will only be a matter of time before doctors will start to shift their focus to the real source of the problem.

More Hate On Boxed Cereal

2009-01-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

I've gotten a good response to my last post on healthy breakfast options which do not include cold cereal. Yesterday I was directed to a site that summarises a great article called "Drop That Spoon" published in the Guardian back in June. Unfortunately the copyright expired so the article is no longer on the Guardian's website. However, here's a blogger who has posted a link and some excerpts.

It's always nice to find you're not the most extreme person in your milieu. Thank god, for the Internet, where one's milieu stretches as far as the Internet signals can pulse. There are far worse things to say about puffed, flakey cereal than what I've written and the above article steps right into the muck. A worthwhile read.

Dish of the Day: Healthy Breakfast

2009-01-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

This one goes out to my mom friend Kim who commented how difficult it is to have a breakfast that is free of processed or refined foods. This is very true when we think of the traditional breakfast of cereal with milk, which so many of us opt for each morning. However, there are lots of other, better choices. WARNING: I'm going to veer off into serious holistic nutrition territory now, but I promise to return to reality.

Cold cereal as a typical breakfast choice is a modern invention thanks to the last century's focus on the mass production of foodstuffs. Before this, people would make breakfast from whatever raw materials they had at home. And in many parts of the world, this is still the case. In Asia, people often eat rice, fish and eggs for breakfast. But in North America we tend to eat processed cereal, like Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Special K, and so many more. These flakey cereals are made by taking refined flour and mixing it with sugar, salt and then vitamins and minerals are added. This paste is then heated up and shot through an extruder that squishes the batter into puffy, crunchy bits that are then dried and placed in a box and shipped off to grocery stores. Knowing this, it's easy to see that this might not be the most nutritious way to start off your day.

What it is, is a quick and easy way to eat before rushing of to work. Convenience and efficiency have defined our eating habits in the recent past, much to the detriment of our health. Since the the second World War when many women joined the workforce, industry found a highly profitable new market in selling fast foods to busy homemakers who still wanted to serve home-cooked meals to their families, but who had less time on their hands. This spawned the era of cakes in a box, TV dinners and canned, processed foods. Flash forward 60 years and now we don't even question buying foods in a box or a can. We rarely look at the long list of ingredients that help preserve this food in its container, nor do we think about the many things that were done to this food before it arrived on the grocery store's shelf.

We were designed to eat fresh food, not dead, dried foods, and I strongly believe in trying to eat foods that closely resemble the way they came off the plant or animal that produced them. Doing so can often stand in opposition to a fast-paced lifestyle but there are still many ways to eat fresh food and not spend hours in the kitchen.

In the morning, a better option than boxed cereal would be to eat whole grains or even non-grain foods for breakfast. Porridge made from grains such as millet, rice, oats, wheat can take a bit more time to make but will naturally have more nutrients. One way to speed up the process of making porridge is to soak it overnight and this can even include a bit of fermentation that occurs when leaving grains out and in contact with water and a bit of salt, vinegar or yogurt. The fermentation process will start to break down the food, making it faster to cook, but also unlocking more of the proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Most granolas are made from whole oats and dried fruits and eaten with yogurt and fresh or frozen fruit, this becomes a balanced start to the day. Those who like to bake can make nutritious muffins in advance which are convenient to eat in the morning but you'd need to have a glass of milk and a fruit to balance this out. I've blogged before about taking last night's starch and turning it into a yummy porridge which is a quick easy meal.

Of course, you could always cook up an egg, some wholemeal toast, have some meat on the side, if you like your animal proteins. This choice of meal - low in carbohydrates - will keep you from feeling hungry for many hours since it avoids a huge insulin rush to store away these sugars, and the subsequent blood sugar drop which revs up your hunger once again.

It turns out there are a number of options for a non-processed breakfast meal that may require a bit more work and a new way of thinking. But it's your health we're talking about. Aren't you worth it?

Dish of the Day: Cauliflower Mac n' Cheese

2009-01-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

File this one under "Stealth Method" because this is sort of a cheaty way of getting veggies into little mouth: mask them by incorporating them into their favourite food. Luckily my babes like cauli already but this would be a great way to introduce cauliflower skeptics to the mild vegetable, assuming they like macaroni and cheese.

Now, this is different from hiding veggies by pureeing them into foods like soups or stews. These vegetables are in plain view. But from the perspective of taste, cauliflower goes very well with cheese sauce; we often eat it that way at home. And to put it in with the macaroni simply boosts the vegetable quotient of your side dish and thus the entire meal.

I bought President's Choice Blue Menu Mac n' Cheese for a number of reasons. The pasta has whole wheat in it, the cheese is real, there's no tartrazine (a food dye I avoid) and it's lower in sodium. I LOVE PC's Blue Menu. Anyway, I used 2/3 of the pasta from the box, put in a cup of cauliflower and added in 1 TBsp of aged white cheddar of my own when making the sauce. I also let it sit for five minutes so the cauli could get completely coated with cheese. The family approved, because there it's all gone!

My Omega 3 Baby

2009-01-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

I used to be the only one in this family who appreciates sardines but now the Bug is on my side. Thanks to my Dad's Italian background, I acquired a taste for sardines on toast. Today I decided to give some to the Bug to see if she'd like them and true to her carnivorous nature, she gobbled them down.

I served them to her on bits of dry whole wheat toast. If you'd like to get your kids to try this omega 3-rich fish, you may want to serve them on their own, or on toast, or you may want to add something to enliven their strong flavour a bit. Try making a toasted sandwich with mayonnaise and relish or mustard and putting some mashed sardines inside. I don't recommend ketchup - ever - as I believe it really smothers any food it contacts, whereas other condiments tend to add and enhance flavour.

Not every child is going to like sardines but it's definitely worth trying if only to broaden their palate with a variety of different tastes. And if someone else in the house (i.e. an adult) doesn't appreciate these lovely small fish, make sure to ask him or her to remove themselves from the table or remain poker-faced during any tasting. That way they won't negatively influence a young eater's experience.

Dish of the Day: Butternut Squash Surprise

2009-01-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

The surprise here is that the squash is for breakfast. I do love a warm, savoury sweet meal for my first meal of the day during the cool months. This is a great way to use leftover squash from last night's dinner in a new delicious way.

Fill a saucepan with about 2/3 cup of squash and add 1/2 cup of whole milk. Also add in your spices: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom are good choices, and raisins. Warm on the stove (or use a microwave to do this in the bowl if you are so inclined) and place in your bowl when it's the desired temperature.

I like to add in pumpkin seeds or a nut at this stage too. Drizzle with honey for the perfect sweet finish.

For babies under one year, you mustn't use honey and you probably will not want to add in milk. You can warm the squash and then add in breast milk to the baby's bowl. Also, no raisin or nuts due to choking hazard or possible allergies.

Dish of the Day: Omelettes

2009-01-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

Omelettes are a great way to have a quick and easy meal as long as you don't have a problem with eggs. I'll remind readers that I'm of the opinion that natural foods (i.e. unprocessed, in their natural state) are good for you and I don't avoid eggs, whole cheeses, milk and yogurt or meat products. These are rich foods, however, so we don't eat them all the time.

If you enjoy eggs, why not whisk up two or three with 1/3 of a cup of milk and throw them in a frying or saute pan? All you need next is some yummy fillings. We had leftovers from our veggie tray from the party so I chose broccoli, tomatoes and green peppers. I prefer some flavour to my vegetables before adding them to the egg mixture so I put a little olive oil in the pan and then threw in chopped garlic and the diced peppers and broccoli to saute for a few minutes. Then I removed them and put the egg mixture in the pan. When the egg was mostly cooked, I added in the cooked vegetables, diced tomatoes, some aged cheddar and fresh basil. I folded half the egg over and put a lid on the pan for almost one minute. Then it was time to plate.

What a way to take leftovers and quickly turn them into a warm delicious meal!

I forgot to take a photo of the dish and so the image above is of this bizarre item I bought at a novelty store. You crack the head open on this egg-shaped fellow and fill his head with water and place him in the sun. He will grow a small plant with words printed on his leaves. Kind of a Sea Monkeys for the New Millennium.

Healthy Birthday Parties for Kids

2009-01-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Our Bug turned one this week and we threw her a birthday party today. Or rather, we had a bunch of friends and family over for lunch and we sang songs for and gave presents to her. I'm not sure she realised it was in her honour. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all.

I put a lot of thought into a cake recipe that would be tasty for adults and not too sugary for the babes. I decided to go with an old family standard for banana cake with some modifications. I doubled the recipe to make it a double layer cake and substituted orange juice concentrate for sugar. I also used spelt flour in place of white. See the recipe below.

We were also challenged by what to put in the pinata I bought. I stuffed with a few Organic Baby Mum-Mums (thank you Jen, yes they are a better option!) But then I couldn't put in lollipops or mini chocolate bars since there was no way I'd allow babies to eat that. I put in a couple of granola bars for my 6-year-old. I added in a couple of toys but it was a pretty empty pinata. Well, it was a nostalgic choice at best. And we didn't destroy it so we'll try again next year!

Recipe for Baby Banana Cake *see asterisk for modifications

- Oven to 350 F
- Cream 1/4 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar* -->use 1/4 c whole cane sugar or Rapadura and 1/2 c orange juice concentrate)
- Add in 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup banana (is generally two), 1 tsp. orange rind
- In a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda
- Add to wet, alternating with 1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt* -->use regular, not low-fat sour cream to keep moisture levels low when substituting juice concentrate for sugar
- Bake in 9" greased pan for 30 - 40 minutes

NOTE: whole egg and milk products not recommended for children under 1

Getting Kids to Eat a Balanced Meal

2009-01-08T20:49:00.001-08:00

I read this essay on the weekend and had to laugh. It's by a man who remembers being obsessed during his childhood by junk foods since he was forced by his healthy parents to eat a strictly nutritious diet. I wonder if my kids will be so desperate for these types of foods that they'll become junk food junkies. I tend to be strict about desserts for the children and we don't bring junk foods into the house. I don't feel like a Green Food Ogre, and I hope they won't look back as adults and see me that way.

However, it must be said that when the author of Forbidden Nonfruit grew up in the 1970s, schools and daycares did not drown kids in empty processed foods as much as they have recently. I feel like I must serve very healthy meals at home to balance out my first grader's "white foods" diet on weekdays.

But I digress. Many parents dread dinner time because it involves a lot of fighting to get kids to eat healthier choices like green vegetables. Many wonder "how can I be sure my children are eating the healthy choices I offer them at home?"

The first answer to this question is to make it a routine to serve a nutritious meal for the whole family: not just for kids, not just for parents, and not all of a sudden because "we're on a diet". Then you need to make sure that you're pressuring kids to eat any particular foods on offer. This prevailing wisdom, attributed to Dietitian Ellyn Satter 30 years back, means that parents get to control what food is offered to kids, and kids get to control which foods they eat and how much. No pressure means no power struggle. This presumes, of course that you're offering your kids a range of healthy options at mealtimes. After that, you need to sit back and allow your children to manage what goes into their mouths.

I'd say that we mostly follow this in our family. The Bug is easy because she loudly begs for anything and everything that's within sight and not nailed down. Her older sister, however, is a pickier child and so I try to stay within her comfort zone.

While I often ask her to try a new food (and she can spit it out if she hates it, but rarely does), I don't often serve her food I know she will dislike. Why do something that we know will set up a conflict? Thankfully she gives me a pretty wide range of approved vegetables. And she's come up with this amazing habit of eating her veggies first, all by herself! But when she say she's full, we usually don't push her to eat more; even if we think she's not really full but just not wanting to eat a particular food. As long as she has eaten some vegetables I'm pretty happy and that's it for her for the evening.

So if you haven't done so already, consider the possibility of letting go a bit at dinnertime. If you are offering healthy choices and a variety of colourful foods throughout the week, your kids should be getting the right amount of vitamins and nutrition, unless they are on a hunger strike.

Volumetrics: Great Big News for Big Eaters

2009-01-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

I love this very visual concept. I was watching TV the other day and saw some national diet company advertising their new way of eating called Volumetrics but in fact this term was coined by a nutritionist called Dr. Barbara Rolls back in 2000. The Volumetrics plan is all about eating lots of healthy food with emphasis on fibrous fruits and vegetables which are big in volume yet low in calories. We often talk about eating foods that are calorie-dense (packed with a lot of calories for their size) but that's not an image that easily sticks in one's head.

People who really need to diet often do not enjoy going on a diet because they think that it will mean eating piously and having an empty stomach. But eating healthfully doesn't mean going hungry. And lots of vegetables on a plate can be quite filling. As long as there is a balance of a protein source and enough healthy fat to accompany it, a large plate of veggies can keep even big eaters feeling satisfied for many hours.

To demonstrate, which would fill you up better: this small slice of pizza?

...or this huge salad?

They probably amount to around the same amount of calories, although NOT if you add a lot of salad dressing to the veggies. And I don't know about you, but I have rarely eaten just one slice of pizza. It goes down so quickly - sometimes you hardly need to chew - that it seems like too short a meal with only one piece. Whereas a very large salad requires a lot of chewing, and chewing, and lots of cutting of pieces with a knife, and then more chewing. After 20 minutes of that, you're likely full.

So I encourage all dieters - and everyone else of course! - to stick with the veggies. They're your best friend.

Vegetarianism for Babies?

2009-01-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

As a nutritionist, I've worked with all kinds of clients and worked with some very specific dietary needs. Some of my vegetarian clients have asked me about how to fulfill their babies' needs while adhering to a strict vegetarian diet. This sets up a conflict because most parents want to give their babies the best possible start nutritionally, but don't want to compromise their own dietary beliefs. At this point, I suggest that they plan to stick to their ideals when it comes to their choice of diet, but to hold off on asking their child to do the same until he or she is 3 years or older.

Why? Because being a vegetarian is a very personal choice, as well as an ethical one. Children are not capable of letting their parents know their feelings about such a complex topic until they are at least able to understand where their food comes from, to exhibit empathy and to modulate their own emotions (otherwise known as being able to "hold back" when they really want to do something).

Also, you have to consider that babies and toddlers traditionally get most of their nutrition from mother's milk for the first couple of years of life, and this was the norm until formula started being commercially produced in the 1960s. Mother's milk is the perfect nutrition for a baby and it is an animal by-product. A growing toddler needs a steady diet of fat and protein as well as the many vitamins and minerals available in fruits and vegetables. It's possible to get protein, as well as iron, calcium, and even zinc from plant food sources, but it requires a lot of cooking and balancing of food types (e.g. beans with rice) to ensure they are present in the diet each day. It's also impossible to get Vitamin D or B12 from a vegan diet without supplementation.

Unless their religion mandates it, most vegetarians choose this noble path because it feels right for them. Different people have different bodies which require different foods. I believe that some folks need a small amount of heavier, animal-sourced protein in their diets for their bodies to function well. There are many omnivores who are horrified by the ethical issues surrounding the modern treatment of livestock, but still feel compelled to eat animal products occasionally because they feel their bodies require it. Fortunately for these folks, the SPCA and others can show them which companies treat their livestock fairly resulting in kinder and healthier egg production and poultry, for example.

On the other side, in addition to the emotional effects of eating meat, many vegetarians simply find themselves feeling better, lighter, healthier on a meat-free in diet. To those vegetarian parents, I say "give your son or daughter the chance to make the same choice." Our children are their own persons and just as we should not impose our own dislikes and likes upon them, we should not dictate what they should eat, especially while still very young. I'm not suggesting that parents hold back on sharing their beliefs and the hard facts about how animals are treated in modern farming practices, but only when the children are able to truly understand and cope with these harsh realities.

I was very excited when my 6 year-old stepdaughter took an interest in vegetarianism, helped perhaps in part, by her vegan babysitter. We had several discussions about the sad way that animals are treated so that we can buy plastic-wrapped portions of meat at our grocery stores. I encouraged her to think about this and said that at any time if she wanted to stop eating meat we'd find her lots of yummy foods that were animal by-product-free. However, she realised that this meant giving up a lot of her favourite foods and decided that this wasn't her path right now. I sure wish that vegetarian product manufacturers made more kid-friendly foods (i.e. can we tone down the spices please?!) but that's a topic for another post altogether. And I'm already afraid my baby is a full-blown carnivore. Whenever we have meat at dinner it's the first thing she gobbles off her plate and grunts for more. But like the rest of the family, I can appease her with vegetarian alternatives each week. When it's time, she too will learn where her food comes from and she'll be encouraged to make up her own mind about what she puts on her plate.

Dish of the Day: Italian Strata

2009-01-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

Those of us living in large cities will hear the word "strata" and most likely think of condominium associations. However, a strata is a wonderful Italian dish that is a lot like a lasagne-quiche. Or, an omelet-bread pudding. Or an omelet-pizza. Well, it must be tasted before you can truly understand but it's a delicious egg-based dish that's perfect to serve at a party. Which is what I did today, New Year's Day.

I was trying to come up with a dish that could be prepared in advance and then popped into the oven the morning of the party and I recalled that 2 friends I knew from years ago used to make oven baked egg-based dishes over the holidays. Both were rich, savoury delights that tasted as if they'd been slaved over, but didn't take much of the cook's time the day of a party. I did some research online and came across this recipe at a fellow blogger's site that reminded me of the strata an Italian friend's aunt used to make. This version, however, was a healthier version I could feel comfortable serving, due to the addition of yogurt in place of the traditional whipping cream. Do check out Choosy Beggar's recipe above, but the variation I made was slightly different.

I took 8 large slices of stale peasant's bread from the Portuguese bakery next door and buttered one side and placed it BUTTER -SIDE DOWN in my large casserole dish. NOTE: if you decide not to butter the bread, make sure you butter the entire bottom of the casserole dish so the bread doesn't get baked on. I then took 400 gms of thickly sliced prosciutto and diced it and 1 cup of chopped zucchini and added this to the dish. I did go with Havarti but added in a handful of freshly chopped basil and poured the egg mixture over it all. I used 10 eggs, 3/4 cup yogurt, 2 Tbsp dijon mustard and 2 1/2 cups milk. Into the fridge it went overnight and by morning this was a sight to behold! The combination of egg, garlic, basil, cheese and prosciutto smelled amazing he second it went into the hot oven and everyone in the house got very excited!

Omega eggs are very healthy and we try to eat them at least once a week, and apart from this dish having quite a lot of cheese and salty ham, I would not consider it at all sinful.

The strata looked, smelled and tasted gorgeous, yet defied an accurate description. The picture above does not nearly do it justice. I encourage you to make this for your family and see for yourselves.

Dish of the Day: Carrot Soup

2008-12-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Whenever I've eaten too much and need to feel clean inside again I make homemade soup. It's so easy to buy prepared soups nowadays that taste like homemade but a glance at the label tells you that they are, in fact, a processed food with lots of ingredients you don't really want or need. Like MSG, too much sodium, starches and bad oils. You don't need to slave over the stove to make a healthy homemade soup; making soup from scratch is often quick, easy and delicious.

Today I made some carrot soup which isn't especially cleansing, as a light brothy soup would be, but I was in the mood for some thick, orangey goodness. This is a very rough recipe as soups should be customised to your own preferences for seasonings and thickness.

- dice a small onion (or a half a large one) and put in a heavy pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat; stir frequently
- take 4 or 5 large carrots and roughly chop; add them to pan once onions are transparent, about 5 min
- now add all your spices and ensure they and the carrots all get coated in the oil
** I used 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp turmeric for colour and health properties, a pinch of salt and a shake of pepper
** you could try dried parsley, tarragon, thyme, sage, a bay leaf
- continue to saute spices for 2 minutes tobring out their flavour and then add enough boiling water to completely cover the vegetables; about 3-4 cups
- after about 20 minutes of simmering, your carrots should be cooked though
- cool for about 10 minutes before putting in the blender (or it will explode)
- if using an immersion blender, simply puree at your own pace
- soup should be thick, and this allows you to add additional liquids now for taste
- add in 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/2 bouillon cube (veggie or chicken) now if desired
** I confess that at this point I also added in 1/4 cup of cream for added mouth-feel
- bring the soup up to simmer again on the stove and then it's ready to eat!

Dish of the Day: Gingerbread House

2008-12-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Are you house-proud? I'm not sure I am. This house took a lot of work and if we had the time we'd be doing a lot more renovations. However, time is short, and we don't want the property to get stale. We had fun making this little cottagey home and it has given us some happy family memories. Of course, without enough bedrooms for the 4 of us, it's going to be a short-term arrangement. We're going to have to eat the losses on this one. But not 'til after Christmas!

The Day After Winter Solstice

2008-12-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day this is! We have been snowed upon, here in Vancouver, for the past 36 hours and yet the sun came out today - on this very first day of longer days - to remind us that winter will not last forever. Thank goodness.

While you may not think that the sun has much to do with a food blog, let's not forget that without the sun we'd be completely lost. Sun makes plants grow, which we and animals eat, and bees buzz and oh don't get me started. As you can see from this photo, It's simply a gorgeous to day to be living in Vancouver and I'm so thankful to welcome back the sun.

Shortbread Recipe

2008-12-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

I love Christmastime so much! It means I get to bake and eat all the cookies. This is a slightly modified Martha Shortbread shortbread recipe that incorporates some whole grain flours. At Christmas time I always make sure to eat lots of greens and healthy protein sources, so that I can pig out on cookies and not skew my diet too badly towards empty carbohydrates. Spelt flour is a great option for baking: it's usually ground quite fine and has a higher protein content.

- Preheat oven to 350F and take out 1 cup of butter from the fridge to bring it up to room temperature
- When softened, beat butter with 1/2 cup sugar (I use Rapadura, but you could use white)
- Add to this either 3 1/2 cups of white flour, or I use 1 cup white flour, 1 3/4 cup spelt flour and 3/4 cup quick cook oats (not instant). If using unsalted butter, add 1 tsp salt to the flour mixture
- You will now have a crumbly, sandy mixture which you need to be sure is fairly homogenous. These needs to be pressed into a 9" glass pie pan that has been buttered well. You can also put a circle of parchment in the bottom of the pan to ensure the bread doesn't stick. You can also bake in a square cake pan, similarly prepared if you prefer your shortbread to be cut into squares.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven to score the top into triangular wedges. Put back in for 10 more minutes.
- The bread is done when golden brown around the edges. Don't let it get too brown.
- Cool for 15 minutes then cut into wedges or squares.

Yummy substitutions:
- Add 1 Tbsp maple syrup and 1 Tbsp less sugar to butter mixture
- Brown sugar
- Add 1 tsp of cardamom to flour mixture
- Add 1 tsp almond extract and press almonds into top of bread before baking

Be warned - you may want to eat this all at once so be sure you have promised some to friends in advance.

Dish of the Day: Miso-based Soups

2008-12-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Brrrr!!!! It is unseasonably frigid here and that calls for warm hearty soups. Lazy chefs celebrate miso paste for its ease of use and delicious flavour. Miso is a Japanese fermented food and is usually made by fermenting rice and soybeans. It's important to not destroy the natural enzymes and bacteria by boiling the miso paste and this is why a tablespoon of the paste must be added to a large serving bowl of whatever broth you choose. You don't put miso in a pot and boil it or you will kill off the beneficial bacteria that are a part of the fermentation process.

Miso soup base is a great foundation for a quick and healthy soup that can include tofu, egg or fish, noodles or rice and a large variety of vegetables. You can put whatever is in your fridge into your miso soup.

The miso paste I'm using currently is brown rice and soybeans. I added 1 large Tbsp to a bowl of the water in which I boiled my kale. This was before I discovered there was a worm in the water as well, so I had extra protein in my soup :0(
I then added a soft-boiled egg, some soft tofu, a large pile of chopped, boiled kale and some spicy bamboo shoots.
Some other good miso soup combos are:
- salmon and kale/bok choy with a teaspoon each of soy sauce and maple syrup
- ramen noodles, chicken and broccoli
- tofu, baby corn, green onions
- egg, bean sprouts and sliced, boiled cabbage

For added flavour you can also add gomasio and soya or tamari sauce. However, almost all miso pastes are quite salty so watch it when adding any additional salty items.

Making Store-Bought Soup Baby-Friendly

2008-12-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

In the winter I used to make a lot of soup but now that I have 2 small mouths to feed (one of which is very picky) I will often buy soups in a box. Or Amy's canned soups. As I've discussed before, many soups are very high in sodium. This is a real problem because our collective taste buds are being trained to equate salty with flavourful. There are a number of ways to cut back on the sodium: watering down the soups, cooking them with slices of potato which will absorb the salt, adding in extra vegetables. But when the baby and I are sharing a bowl for lunch, I find the quickest way of cutting the sodium is to add plain yogurt. The soup becomes creamier and less salty all at once. Those who know me know that I abhor low-fat anything, so I am talking about regular plain yogurt, at leas 3%, but 5% and up is even better.

Dish of the Day: Potato Cauliflower Mash

2008-12-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was planning on making baked salmon, mashed potatoes and cauliflower with butter for some of us, and with dip for the Picky Eater. Out of a desire to keep dirty pots to a minimum, I decided to boil the cauli with the potatoes, just putting it in 7 minutes behind the taters. When it was time to drain the vegetables and do different things with each of them I thought "what the heck, let's mash it all together!"

So our mash was made with:
- boiled Yukon Gold potatoes with a few skins left in
- half a head from a large cauliflower
- 2 large cloves garlic boiled with the veggies
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup or more of the potato water (reserved)

I whipped it up with the hand-held mixer and left things a bit chunky. It called out for fresh chives, parsley or basil but with none in the kitchen I settled on ground pepper.

Dish of the Day: Chickpea Salad

2008-12-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

I had some friends over for dinner last night, with only 1 day's notice, so I needed to throw a meal together quickly. I also wanted to avoid a trip to the grocery store where I would undoubtedly spend too much money. We had fish and rice, but what to do about the veggies? I had almost a whole English cucumber, some grape tomatoes left over and a can of chick peas. Sounds like a salad to me!

I washed the chick peas and took off their shells in a big steel bowl. Did you know that chick peas have a skin covering them that makes them harder to digest? I have trouble with too much fibre and so I take these off even though it's a bit of a pain. In a large salad bowl I put 1 Tbsp dijon mustard, 2 Tbsps white vinegar and 2 Tbsps of a strong olive oil. Whisked with a fork and there was my salad dressing. I chopped the tomatoes, diced the cuke and then added the chick peas.

This was made the night before so the salad ingredients could really soak up the flavours of the dressing, and so I had less to do the night of the party.

Dish of the Day: Spiced Roasted Cauliflower

2008-12-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

Another dish that's a timesaver, this cauliflower requires very little prep and gets baked in the oven.

You'll need:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 large shallot or a small sweet onion
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 TBsp honey
- 1 tsp each nutmeg and cumin seeds
- sprinkle of salt

Set the oven to 375F. Take a whole head of cauliflower, wash it and remove the stem. Roughly chop shallot. Then place florets and shallot in a baking pan and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle on nutmeg and add in cumin seeds (or ground cumin if that's all you can get your hands on). Sprinkle on salt and place in oven for 20 minutes or until florets are tender.

Remove pan from oven and add in raisins and honey. Mix together so that raisins a

Dish of the Day: Fresh Papaya

2008-12-03T17:25:00.001-08:00

What's better than a fully-ripe exotic fruit? Not much. I've been able to find some very fresh organic papayas recently in a few places. Not very locavorous of me I know, but I blame it on the Bug, and my search for healthy foods for her that she can eat with minimal supervision and not choke. Papaya is one of those soft fruits that are simply packed with vitamins and minerals and she loves it. Me too!

When the Bug's daddy and I went to the Cook Islands on our honeymoon we tasted papaya (pau-pau) that was freshly picked each morning. It made us realise how much is lost when exotic fruits are shipped over to North America. And naturally, it demonstrates the benefits of eating fresh, local food, like our own summer peaches. But when you can get your hands of a little piece of tropical heaven: a Hawaiian pineapple, for example, or a mango from the Philippines, it's a wonderful treat. Like a mini vacation in your mouth. The Bug sure agrees.

Dish of the Day: Spinach Lasagna

2008-12-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

I used to think that lasagna was too rich and too much work for me, but I just saw a few examples of quick methods on the old boob tube recently. That expression doesn't really work anymore does it?

Anyway, I bought some Primo whole-grain oven-ready lasagne noodles and a package of baby spinach and some mozzarella and figured I was ready to go. NOTE: Even for a small pan of lasagna you need more than one bag of spinach, and this became apparent early on. Fortunately I had a bag of Stahlbush chopped spinach in the freezer which saved the day. I was also keen to make the lasagna tasty, but to avoid using heavy cream or loads of cheese, as is the convention. A roux was the solution for making a creamy, yet not overly heavy sauce. Here's what I used to make my healthier spinach lasagna:

- box of lasagna pasta
- 2 bags of spinach
- milk, flour, butter to make a roux
- 1/2 pound (225 gm) mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon pesto
- 1 handful parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

While I wilted/boiled the spinach (1 -2 minutes for fresh, 3 minutes for frozen) I made 1 cup of roux and dammit, I just now realised it would have been a lot better with some white wine added in). Then I drained the spinach and added the spinach to the roux saucepan and removed it from the heat. Some of the spinach water went in too, and this is okay because with the oven-ready noodles you don't want things to be too dry. I placed a saucy spinach layer in the bottom of a greased 8" x 8" square glass pan, then sprinkled on all the mozza cheese. Then added a layer of noodles, then the other half of the spinach and then noodles directly on top. Then I added the parmesan cheese and covered the pan with foil, so it would all melt but not burn and to keep the moisture in.

Baked for 35 minutes at 400F and then 5-7 more minutes with the foil cover removed to all the top to brown slightly. You don't want to brown this too much unless you have really layered on the cheese because the oven-ready noodles tend towards the dry side. Voila! Quick, easy, healthy dinner.