by | Nov 9, 2018 | Wellness Recipes
I am a sucker for peanut butter anything. Often these snacks aren’t the best for us, because they are loaded with sugar. This recipe is gluten free, low in sugar and a guaranteed crowd pleaser, I hope you love it as much as I do.
Peanut Butter Balls
3/4 cup All Natural Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (I’ve also substituted with stevia- follow stevia package)
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
3/4 cup Oat Flour
1 cup Rice Puffs Cereal
50 grams Dark Organic Chocolate
1 tsp Coconut Oil
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup and sea salt. Add in the oat flour and mix well until a soft dough forms. Gently fold in the rice puffs cereal.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon to drop small balls onto the baking sheet then use your hands to roll them into a ball and smooth them out. Store in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Set up a double boiler: Fill a medium pot with an inch of water and place a smaller pot or heat-safe bowl on top ensuring the water is not touching the bottom of the smaller pot or bowl. The smaller pot or bowl should rest tightly on top of the pot and any water or steam should not be able to escape.
- Bring water to a boil then reduce to lowest heat. Add the dark chocolate and coconut oil to the smaller pot and stir continuously until melted. Remove from stovetop.
- Remove the baking sheet peanut butter balls from the freezer. Using a spoonful of melted chocolate at a time slowly drizzle the chocolate over top of each ball, or alternatively, dip each one into the melted chocolate mixture and place them back on the parchment paper.
- Let peanut butter balls set in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden. Enjoy!
by | Oct 7, 2018 | Wellness Recipes
by Dr. Michelle Hagel ND
Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t mean that we have to gorge ourselves at the dinner table. There are a lot of healthy choices when it comes to leftovers after Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey is an excellent source of protein, b vitamins, choline, phosphorus and potassium. Then just skip the gravy, potatoes, and stuffing and load up on the veggies! I have included a recipe for a turkey bowl, a great leftover alternative. The best of all it’s not about saying no to dessert it is about finding a good alternative like the black bean brownies recipe below – I bet you won’t be able to tell the difference!
Enjoy the holiday weekend it is a great time to practice thanks and gratitude to yourself and others.
Turkey Squash Bowls
- 2 Delicata Squash (small)
- 2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 lb Extra Lean Ground Turkey
- 1 tbsp Poultry Seasoning
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Frozen Cranberries (thawed, or use fresh)
- 4 cups Microgreens
- 2 tbsps Balsamic Vinegar
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rinse the outside of the squash and slice in half lengthwise. Brush the flesh with a small amount of olive oil and place face-down on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey and saute until cooked through and browned. Break it up into tiny pieces as it cooks.
- Once the turkey is cooked through, stir in the poultry seasoning, sea salt and cranberries. Turn the heat to the lowest setting to keep warm until your squash is cooked.
- Remove squash from oven and stuff each half with the turkey/cranberry mix. Serve with microgreens and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
Black Bean Brownies
- 2 cups Black Beans (cooked)
- 3 Egg
- 1/4 cup Coconut Oil (melted)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1/4 cup Coconut Sugar
- 1/4 cup Raw Honey
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 100 grams Dark Organic Chocolate (chopped and divided)
- 1/4 cup Sliced Almonds
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Add the cooked black beans and eggs to a food processor. Turn it on and add the coconut oil. Let the food processor blend until the black beans are very smooth.
- Add vanilla, salt, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, honey and baking powder to the black bean batter. Blend until all incorporated.
- Add half of the chocolate to the brownie batter and pulse until it is mixed in.
- Transfer brownie batter to the prepared baking dish and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate and the sliced almonds evenly over top of the brownies.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely before transferring to the fridge for at least 4 hours before cutting into squares. Enjoy!
by | Sep 5, 2018 | Wellness Recipes
by Dr. Michelle Hagel ND
Back to school can always be a busy time for parents and children. The last thing you want to do is spend a long time making breakfast and lunches. Here are a couple of great, quick and easy recipes that can be made ahead of time to save you time when the kids are trying to run out the door. It is important to remember that the food we feed our family is the fuel to perform throughout the day. Ensuring that the food is whole food, not processed, with healthy fats and proteins and low sugar. Enjoy
Chocolate Berry Chia Pudding
1/4 cup Chia Seeds
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut milk
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup Raspberries
In a mixing bowl whisk together chia seeds, cocoa powder, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight) and serve with berries on top.
Sesame Chicken Salad – Easy
16 oz Chicken Breast (cubed)
1 tbsp Chinese Five Spice
Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
8 cups Coleslaw Mix (pre-sliced, from the bag)
2 Navel Orange (peeled and cubed)
4 stalks Green Onion (sliced)
1 cup Cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
1/4 cup Coconut Aminos
1/4 cup Sesame Oil
1 Garlic (clove, minced)
1 tbsp Ginger (peeled and grated)
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the chicken with the Chinese Five Spice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
Mix together Coleslaw, oranges, onion, cilantro in a large bowl
In a small mason jar mix together coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Shake to blend
Add chicken over the salad then pour dressing over. Great leftover too.
by | Jun 27, 2018 | Wellness Recipes
by Dr. Michelle Hagel ND
Summer is a great time to kick-start some healthy eating habits. We are surrounded by an abundance of fresh produce, so enjoy it! I love cooking and eating real food but I also don’t like to spend a bunch of time indoors preparing meals when I could be out soaking up the vitamin D. I try to optimize every second of the precious summer months. So, I have decided to share some of my favourite healthy, quick and easy recipes for your family, I hope you enjoy!
One Pan Salmon
4 Red Bell Pepper (sliced)
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
16 ozs Salmon Fillet
Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
2 cups Pineapple (cored and sliced into rounds)
Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss the sliced bell peppers with the olive oil. Transfer to the perimeter of a baking sheet, and add the salmon fillets to the middle.
Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper, then top with the pineapple slices. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Simple Summer Shrimp Salad
1 Cucumber (diced)
1 Mango (cubed)
1 Avocado (cubed)
3/4 lb Shrimp (cooked, tails removed)
1 Lime (juiced)
1/8 tsp Sea Salt (or more to taste)
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and enjoy : )
Frozen Yogurt Blueberries
2 cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen, not wild)
1/4 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
In a bowl, combine blueberries and yogurt until well coated.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Line blueberries on the baking sheet.
Freeze for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a freezer bag or a freezer-safe storage container. Continue to store in the freezer until ready to eat.
Granola
2 cups Oats (rolled)
1/2 cup Oat Flour
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 cup Organic Raisins
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Sunflower Seed Butter
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 tbsps Coconut Oil (melted)
Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients until well combined. Transfer to the baking sheet and use your hands to press down into a even layer. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and use a spatula to flip over sections of the granola, gently breaking up the granola into chunks. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes at 300F.
Turn off the oven completely and leave the granola for another 20 minutes, or until crisp.
Take on the next outdoor adventure.
by | Dec 11, 2017 | Wellness Recipes
Makes 24 mini muffins
Preheat oven to 400F
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of sea salt
Wet Ingredients
3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potato * see note below
1 serving of chia paste or 1 egg **see note below
3/4 cup dairy free milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 tbsp honey
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Whisk together all the dry ingredients
3. Whisk together all the wet ingredients
4. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix just until blended. Spoon into paper lined muffin tins.
5. Bake approx. 20-25 min for mini muffins (just until toothpick inserted comes out mostly dry). Allow to cool 10 min and put on cooling rick.
Notes
*Use 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes. Wash and pierce skin with fork. Place in preheated oven (400F) for 45 to 60min, until soft in centre (test with knife). Cool and easily peel skin off with your fingers.
**Chia paste – 1 tbsp of chia seeds, ground (ie in coffee grinder), mix with 1/4 cup of room temperature or warm water, 2 tsp arrowroot powder (optional) and let sit for 10 min.
Healthy Diet NW Calgary
Recipe inspired from:
Ricardo. (2016). Sweet Potato Breakfast Muffins | Ricardo. Retrieved November 22, 2016, from https://www.ricardocuisine.com/en/recipes/7071-sweet-potato-breakfast-muffins
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by | Dec 4, 2017 | Wellness Recipes
I have done Christmas baking with my family for as long as I can remember. From biscotti’s to Christmas pudding we always manage to have a blast and make a giant mess. As I began to become more aware of the impact food (specifically sugar) had on my health, our Christmas baking tradition became less appealing.
I continued to participate but did not consume our ‘unhealthy’ creations. Then I realized I didn’t want my family to be consuming all the sugar-filled treats. So, I decided to change some of the recipes for healthier alternatives.
I have never been a fan of restriction, if something has to be removed I generally only take it out for a set period of time. Where I have found success both with patients and myself is finding healthier alternatives. So I encourage everyone to try to do the same this holiday season and all year long.
Pomegranate Chocolate Bark
• 200 grams Dark Organic Chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
• 1 cup Pomegranate Seeds
• 1/2 cup Pistachios (shelled and chopped)
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the pomegranate seeds, pistachios and coconut flakes in bowls.
2.Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate, by breaking the dark chocolate into pieces. Stir continuously just until melted. Remove from stove top immediately once melted
3.Pour the melted chocolate onto the baking sheet. Use a spatula to smooth the chocolate into an even layer, about 1/4 inch thick. Quickly sprinkle the pomegranate seeds evenly over top, followed by the pistachios and finally the coconut. Transfer to the fridge or freezer and let chill for 20 to 30 minutes, or until firm.
4.Once the chocolate is firm, break or cut it into pieces. Enjoy!
Healthy Gut Eggnog
• 1 cup of kefir
• 2 bananas (the riper the better)
• 1tbsp coconut oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp maple syrup (I will also use a pinch of stevia)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
Place ingredients in a blender until smooth and garnish with nutmeg.
Mashed Cauliflower
• 1 head Cauliflower (large, sliced into florets)
• 2 Garlic (cloves, minced)
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Thyme
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
1. Steam cauliflower florets for 10-15 minutes, or until very soft.
2. Transfer steamed cauliflower to a food processor or blender along with the remaining ingredients and enjoy!
