Creamy Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

I don’t know about where you are, but it rained and rained and rained all weekend here in Vancouver. But it also warmed up a little, so that’s a plus.

There were a few different outdoor Christmas events that we wanted to check out, but they just wouldn’t have been all that fun in the downpour, especially with a toddler. It was more of a stay-inside-and-read kinda weekend.

It was also an oatmeal-for-breakfast kinda weekend, and I put together a pretty delicious and extra healthy pot on Saturday and Sunday morning. It was full of apples, cinnamon, and creamy vanilla yogurt. It was like having dessert for breakfast, but with zero guilt. Win win. I love oatmeal, I think that’s because it reminds me of my childhood.

Creamy Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal ~ 2 servings

Ingredients

• 300 ml cold water in a small saucepan with lid
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cups quick oats
• 2 small apples, diced into small pieces
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

Directions

1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan covered with a lid.
2. Add oats, apples, and raisins to boiling water, stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
3. Mix in yogurt and sprinkle with cinnamon.
4. Enjoy!

Well of course I need to talk about why this bowl of oat-y deliciousness is so good for you. Lets start with the oats:

• lower bad cholesterol > reduces risk of cardiovascular disease
• control blood pressure
• high in antioxidants
• high in soluble fiber, particularly beta-glucan, which strengthens the immune system, making it better equipped to fight bacterial infections
• beta-glucan also stabilizes blood sugar and reduces the risk of Type II diabetes
• great alternative to those with a gluten allergy (as long as the oats are certified GF)
• play a role in preventing childhood asthma

The list goes on, but you get the idea. Oats are basically EXTREMELY good for you.

And so are apples.

• rich in flavanols which help to reduce to risk of certain cancers
• high in soluble fiber > reduces cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar
• detoxifies lives
• boosts immune system
• high in antioxidants, some of which play a role in the prevention of cataracts
• chewing on apples increase the production of saliva which reduces tooth decay

And so on and so on.

Yogurt is full of calcium and probiotics*, and cinnamon not only adds a delicious, warm flavor, but it is also an excellent blood sugar stabilizer.

Ryland loves oatmeal, which is great. Duncan…I’m working on it.

In case you’re wondering, there are only 18 days left until Christmas. Can you believe it??? I’m currently watching a super cheesy Christmas movie. The cheesier the better :D.

Have a great day!

*Not all yogurts have probiotics. It will generally say somewhere on the container whether or not they’ve been added in.

 

 

Chocolate Carrot Mini Muffins

I’m always making really oat-y snacks for myself and Ryland, but I thought we could use a break from that and decided to switch it up with some chocolate-y goodness in the form of mini muffins. But being a nutritionist-in-training, I had to throw in a healthy twist. I went with carrots, which I really do like, just not with my chocolate. Good news! You can’t even taste them. But they’re there and that’s what counts :D. And look at what they can do for you! 

In addition to the carrot goodness, they were also light, fluffy, moist and just the right amount of sweet. The recipe I used called for buttermilk, which I didn’t have, so I used vanilla yogurt instead. If that made any difference, it was definitely a good difference. Not too mention the added protein, calcium and B vitamins. Two thumbs up for that.

Chocolate Carrot Mini Muffins ~ makes 24

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 medium sized carrots, finely ground in food processor

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400° and grease a mini muffin tray or line with mini muffin liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together first 6 ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and mix in the yogurt, coconut oil, vanilla and carrot. Add mixture to dry ingredients. Gently mix until well blended.
4. Fill each mini muffin cup about 2/3’s full.
5. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.
6. Let cool for about 10 minutes in pan before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

These are good for about 3 days and they freeze well. I got 20 muffins in my batch, but I also filled the cups up almost to the top. If you fill them 2/3’s, you should definitely get at least 24.

I’m not crazy about the amount of sugar that went into these. Based on how they turned out, and the vanilla yogurt in place of the buttermilk, I think they would’ve been fine with 1/2 the amount so I’ll keep that in mind for next time.

The carrots were a great addition, but i’m thinking I’ll give zucchini a try for the next batch. You can call me the Sneaky Veggie Bandit ;).

Enjoy the rest of your day!

 

Yams, Brussel Sprouts &…Christmas!!!

How are you on this frosty Monday?? Not frozen, I hope. It was freezing but super sunny all weekend. Perfect winter weather in my books.

I’ve talked about my love of Brussel sprouts before, but lately it’s turned into more of an obsession. Of all things, hey? But roasted with some olive oil & sea salt…YUM. I love yams too. The nutritional value of both is way up there, so lots of bonus points right there.Yams are full of the antioxidants beta carotene and Vitamin C, both of which tell the cancer-loving free radicals to beat it. They’re a great source of potassium which works to prevent high blood pressure, and they’re also high in fibre and complex carbs which equals good digestion and stable blood sugar. Loooots of other benefits that i’ll tell you about at some point.

Brussel sprouts are loaded with fibre and antioxidants as well, but that’s not all. They’re rich in a compound called isothiocyanates which not only fight, but possibly even prevent certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. They’re high in lots of other vitamins and minerals that make our bodies very happy :D.

My love for these healthy eats made this happen:

It was on the side of some roasted chicken, which wasn’t really all that picture worthy. But this really does make a fantastic side dish, especially during the holiday season.

Roasted & Sea Salted Brussel Sprouts & Yams ~ serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

• 4-5 small to medium sized yams
• 2 cups Brussel sprouts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.
3. Wash yams and dice into bite size pieces.
4. Wash Brussel sprouts.
5. In a large bowl, toss together yams, Brussel sprouts olive oil, and as little or as much sea salt as you desire. I ground about 1 tsp into my bowl.
6. Spread evenly on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
7. Dig in!

My parents are doing a turkey for Christmas so I think i’ll add this to the side. My dad and Duncan will turn their noses up at the Brussel sprouts…more for me!

I put up all of our Christmas stuff over the weekend, basically because it’s never too early for that, in my opinion. As long as it’s after Remembrance Day of course.

Our tree is small, and sadly not real, but it’s a good size for our condo. And as much as I love real trees, I don’t mind not having to sweep up pine needles every 3 minutes. Nothing beats the smell of them though. NOTHING.

I also got a ton of Christmas shopping done on Black Friday at some outlets. The deals weren’t that great, but i’m about 80% done which is kind of a relief. I looked at the calendar and I don’t even think i’ll have time to sit down between now and Santa’s visit from the North Pole ;).

On Wednesday i’m going to tell you about some fluffy, light chocolatey Chocolate Carrot (but you can’t taste the carrot) Mini Muffins that I whipped up. I hope you’ll be back for that :). Have a great day!

Super Smoothies & a Little Change of Pace

I’m currently taking a course called Principles of Plain Language as part of my educational objectives for work. It’s a really useful course, not only work-wise, but also because once I become a nutritionist (knock on wood), a huge part of my job will be to write assessments for clients. They need to be straightforward, purposeful and easy to read without rambling and getting off topic.

Soooo, I think this blog is also a really good place to practice these principles. My first step, and one of the most important, is to have a more specific focus. A lot of my posts talk about all kinds of different things, a lot of which might only be interesting to me. This should be a place that readers come to looking for a specific topic, not a little of a million different things. For example, if this was a blog all about dogs, its regular readers probably wouldn’t want to read about cats ;).

So what do I really want to focus on? Nutrition. I’m learning so much though my program and I want to share the knowledge as I go. Not only will this give you a lot of really interesting and useful nutritional facts and tips, but i’ll sort of be reinforcing the information in my own brain…which I really hope will come in handy when I write my final exam!

I’ll still mention my kid and dog here and there, because I really can’t help myself, but for the most part, let’s talk NUTRITION!

And let’s start with smoothies.

I’ve been a smoothie lover for a lot of years now. Why? Because depending on what you put into them, they can be really healthy and tasty. You can also sneak things into them that you don’t love, (like spinach in my case), and mask the taste with all kinds of other stuff. AND, totally toddler friendly. Ryland also has spinach almost everyday! He doesn’t know it, and maybe that makes me a little deceitful, but mama’s gotta do what they gotta do ;).

See? I really can’t help myself.

I’ve made a billion different smoothies, many of which were undrinkable, but I’m currently a regular consumer of one that I’ll call a Super Smoothie. I add lots of good-for-you ingredients and one of the biggest benefits is the energy they give me. I usually drink my smoothies first thing is the morning which is EARLY, and no matter how tired I am when my alarm goes off, these wake me right up.

Side note, I don’t usually drink my smoothies from a mason jar, but I wasn’t about to take a picture of it in my ugly to-go cup! I also don’t generally use paper straws…have you tried to drink anything with a paper straw BTW? Drink fast if you don’t want paper bits floating around in your cup!

Anyway, here’s what went into this particular smoothie, along with a little nutritional tidbit about each ingredient:

Super Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen strawberries ~ full of antioxidants which fight potentially harmful free radicals
• 1/2 a frozen banana ~ full of fiber, potassium, & vitamin C, all of which promote heart health
• handful of spinach ~ high in vitamin K which supports bone health
• 1/4 cup organic vanilla yogurt ~ *contains probiotics which promote healthy gut flora necessary for digestive health
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds ~ high in fibre to keep you feeling full longer while maintaining a healthy digestive system
• 1/2 tbsp hemp hearts ~ excellent source of Omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids which reduce the inflammatory risks of many diseases
• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil ~ high in saturated fats which are actually a GOOD thing ~ this helps to increase good cholesterol & reducing bad cholesterol, a vital component to heart health.
• 1 tbsp **plant-based protein powder ~ contains chlorophyll which is alkaline-forming ~ this neutralizes acidity within the body, thus fighting inflammation and stress while also supporting bone health
• 1 cup water ~ flushes out toxins
• 4-5 ice cubes

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth
2. Enjoy!

* Not all yogurt contains probiotics so make sure the label/nutritional guide specifically indicates whether or not they have been added in.

** I use this stuff:

I don’t use the scoop that comes with it because that’s just too much for me, but a tbsp at a time is working out pretty well. I can taste it…but it’s a nice tropical-taste. Tropical Tango if you will. As stated on the package, it’s gluten free and there is no sugar added.

There you have it. In essence, there is a lot of fat going into my Super Smoothie, mainly from the coconut oil, chia seeds & hemp hearts, but as I’ve learned over the years, this can be extremely beneficial and nutritious as long as you are consuming the right fats. Back in my teenage years, and even my early twenties, no WAY would I ever put that much fat in my body. But I’ve been doing this for quite a while now and I haven’t turned into a whale :).

One more little bit on the addition of coconut oil into my smoothies ~ I noticed a very substantial increase in energy once I started doing this. I really can’t say enough about this stuff…I went on and on about it here.

That’s it for today. I hope you’ve gotten something out of this very long post :).

 

 

Cheesy Brown Rice & Black Bean Loaf

Hi!

Happy Monday :D. We had the most perfect November weather over here. Cold but not too cold and extra sunny! We deserved it though. The week leading up to it was pretty gross.

I basically have a river in my backyard with a path beside it that you can walk along for as long as you feel like walking. You might come across the odd black bear, but they generally won’t even give you the time of day. When we moved to the neighborhood almost 5 years ago, I just about died when I saw a bear up close for the first time, right by my house. Neighbors kept saying “don’t worry, they’re harmless,” and so far that’s proven to be true. But at the same time, they’re wild animals and us humans need to respect that and be cautious. Better safe than sorry!

My “backyard”

On Saturday we walked along the river for awhile and then headed over to a local high school that was hosting their annual Winter Market. There were tons of really crafty, cool, yummy goodies. I easily could’ve spent way too much money because I’m such a sucker for things like that, but I managed to walk out with my wallet still intact. I bought Ryland the Charlie Brown Christmas Story but the best part is that it’s a handmade quilt book. He buries his face in it and my heart explodes, as per usual with everything he does. I won’t deny that I’m an obsessed Mom. We also had some chocolate covered pretzels. Had to support the bake sale!!

OK, so back to the title of this post, the purpose of this post. I usually try to make something on Sundays that Ryland and I can take to work/daycare for lunch throughout the week. I also try to make sure that whatever I come up with has a good balance of protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Since I’m not a huge meat eater, I rely on beans and eggs quite often to get my protein and iron intake. Beans are also high in fibre, and we all know how important that is! I also love brown rice which is a plus because it’s full of fiber, antioxidants and slow-releasing sugars, which promote stable blood sugar. And last but not least, cheesy goodness. A little more protein, a good does of calcium, and of course, YUM.

OK…so it doesn’t look all that appetizing, but the lighting was bad and I used my cell phone. It turned out to be pretty tasty though, promise!

Cheesy Brown Rice & Black Bean Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (melted) or olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° and grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan
2. In a large bowl, mix together rice, beans, and taco seasoning
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and coconut oil or olive oil. Pour into large bowl and mix all ingredients well.
4. Gradually add shredded cheese to bowl, mixing gently.
5. Pour into loaf pan, pressing down gently until level.
6. Bake 40-45 minutes.
7. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before removing.

I would say this is good in the fridge for 3 days max so I recommend freezing any that might not get eaten within that time. I had a slice for dinner last night and topped it with chopped green onions and hot sauce (because I’m addicted, I admit it). My fingers are crossed that Ryland gobbles it up at daycare today! Duncan turned his nose up at the brown rice but that’s fine. He can stick to white rice covered in MSG-filled soy sauce! I have a LOT of work to do on that guy :/.

Time to get to it. Have a great day!

Fall Family Photo Shoot

We have had a ROUGH few days around here. Ryland has been fighting a cough and cold, I’m pretty sure his molars are coming in (but I can’t check if I want to keep my fingers!) and I think he’s also practicing for his terrible twos. He threw himself on the ground and had a meltdown for absolutely no reason yesterday. I’M EXHAUSTED. I also feel really bad for the little guy when he’s miserable like that.

On a more positive note, we got our pictures back from our mini photo shoot this past weekend. I love them. The photographer (owner of Ridge Meadows Photography) really knew her stuff and she got tons of smiles out of Ryland who usually puts on his poker face for the camera. The location was perfect for the sunset background I was hoping for. Here are a few favorites:

And this might be my favorite picture that ever existed:

Pure, innocent joy.

It was pretty chilly out but the session was only 20 minutes which was awesome, especially considering how many great pictures where shot in such a short time. I will definitely be going back to this photographer when I decide we need more pictures :).

Alrighty, time to get to my daily list of the million things to do. Have a good one!

How I Tricked My Toddler Into Eating Brussel Sprouts

Before anything else, I’d like to take a minute to address the horrific events that took place in Paris on Friday. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those that have been affected. It’s impossible to even try to understand how mankind can perform such unspeakable acts on one another. I truly hope that those who are broken and suffering during this time can find comfort in the arms of others. Pray For Paris, Pray For Peace.

* * * * *

I did it again. I deceivingly snuck veggies into Ryland’s dinner. How, you ask? In the form of Brussel Sprouts Grilled Cheese Sandwiches! We looove grilled cheese around here (who doesn’t?!) so it just made sense. I mean you can sneak just about anything into them. Little green bits were visible, but Ryland chowed down anyway. I also put a few whole Brussel sprouts on his tray which he sort of nibbled and poked at, but he didn’t toss them across the kitchen which is a win in my books. Hopefully he’ll take after his mama and decide that he loves them one of these days. Seriously, I. LOVE. BRUSSEL. SPROUTS. Weird, right? Anyway, it was a super quick and basic dinner, but they were good enough that I feel like I should share the recipe with you. Oh, and the healthy factor doesn’t stop at the added greens! Instead of smothering the bread with butter, I used cold-pressed coconut oil. Another win. The butter was not missed.

Brussel Sprouts Grilled Cheese Sandwiches ~ 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 slices bread of your choice
• cold-pressed coconut oil
• garlic powder
• slices of cheese of your choice ~ enough to fill sandwich
• 6 cooked Brussel Sprouts chopped into very small bits

Directions

1. Spread coconut oil on all four slices of bread and sprinkled with garlic powder.
2. Sprinkle chopped Brussel sprouts on bottom pieces of bread and cover with cheese slices and top pieces of bread.
3. Grill your sandwich!*

*Use whichever method you prefer for the last step. I usually alternate between a frying pan and sandwich maker but this time around, I used our Hamilton Beach grill. So you might even call it a panini :).

I steamed quite a few Brussel sprouts and decided to grill the rest along with the sandwiches. I tossed them in coconut oil and garlic powder and popped everything onto the grill at the same time. If you do decide to use a grill, I set mine at 375 and let everything cook for about 5 minutes. The results were cheesy, garlic-y, and deee-licious! I don’t use our grill often…honestly because it’s kind of a pain in the butt to clean, but it always makes the perfect sandwich…or panini…whatever. And I love the lines that get grilled into everything! It’s like bbq-ing for cheaters :D.

I also made a batch of my Blueberry Banana Oat Mini Muffins. They make the perfect addition to Ryland’s lunchbox for daycare and I snack on them here and there as well. With a little (LOT) of peanut butter…you know, just for the added protein ;).

We had our mini photo shoot yesterday and I can’t wait to see the pictures! I’ll be sure to share a few when I get them.

The usual Monday things are calling my name so off I go. Have a great day!

Friday Favorites

Hi!

Seriously, TGIF. It was nice to have a little break from work on Wednesday, but it was so busy the other 3 days that I felt like my head was spinning. In case anyone’s interested in what I do for a living, I’m a legal assistant. It’s a good job, great company…do I want to do it for the rest of my working life? Not so much. I’m really hoping to go somewhere with the whole nutrition deal.

Anyway.

A few blogs that I follow do this “Friday Favorites” thing so I thought I’d have a go at it. But first, here’s a picture from a Remembrance Day parade that we went to. It was a really great event. I started to get choked up thinking about my Grandpas and all of the other amazing men & women out there. There really is a lot of good in this world.

Before we went to the parade, I put together this smoothie bowl.

It was super tasty and refreshing, and of course packed full of nutrients.

I. LOVE. PEANUT BUTTER. Usually just the all natural, unsalted, unsweetened stuff, but I bought a jar of this stuff and it’s ridiculous.

How much is too much PB??

They have a few different flavors which you can bet I’ll be trying as soon as this jar is done. Which will probably be in the very near future :/.

It’s currently cold, grey, and rainy, but it was gorgeous on Remembrance Day. There’s just something so beautiful about fall colours. Not to mention that handsome fellow sitting all pretty for the camera.

And then there’s this face, my favorite face in the world. I just can’t get enough of this guy.

Sometimes I miss how tiny he used to be (well all the time, actually), but he’s just so much fun these days! A few weeks ago he started giving us really tight hugs…my heart explodes every. single. time.

And of course Fridays themselves are a favorite of mine. Even though they’re just a little different since Ryland came along ;).

A few girlfriends and I are going out for a little girls night tonight so I’m pretty excited about that. They definitely don’t happen as often as we’d like…life is really friggen busy when you’re a grownup! We also have a mini family photo shoot on Sunday so I should have some pretty awesome pictures to share next week. Other than that…the usual weekend chores will surely be calling my name. Yay :/.

Have a great weekend!

Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I just want to start out by taking a minute to say how grateful I am everyday for all of the brave, selfless men and women who fought for our freedom in this wonderful country, both of my late grandfathers included. We are so incredibly lucky to call this place home, thanks to those who made so many sacrifices.

Lest We Forget

To Duncan’s great relief, I decided to take a break from making my usual super healthy oat bars/cookies/muffins and went with some good, old-fashioned, high-cal, high-fat chocolate chip cookies. I don’t know about where you’re from, but it poured all weekend long here in Vancouver. Definitely stay-in-and-bake kinda weather. I used a pretty basic recipe and made a couple small modifications. The end result?

DROOL

I mean just look at how thick and chunky-chocolatey these babies are! I made a batch of 12 and they lasted maybe 24 hours. We had a few friends over…and they each had one…the rest were all Duncan and I. Sometimes I just have zero self-control, mainly when it comes to stuff like this. Good thing I only made a dozen. What a fat disaster that would’ve been otherwise :/.

Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies (approx. 12 cookies)

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature & soft
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Directions

1. Preheat over to 350º and grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper
2. Sift together flour, salt, cornstarch & baking soda, set aside
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, maple syrup and brown sugar until well blended.
4. Beat in the vanilla and egg until light and creamy.
5. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
6. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
7. Drop large spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2″ apart.
8. Bake 9-11 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (although they’re ooey and gooey and delicious when warm!)

I’ve never actually come across a chocolate chip cookie recipe that calls for maple syrup…I just kind of decided to add it it. There is a very faint maple taste, so if you’re not a fan of that, just skip adding it in. I kind of think it adds to the chewiness though, along with the cornstarch.

Annnnnd now I’m craving another batch of these in a bad way. I kind of have a rule though where I’m only allowed to eat stuff like that on weekends . So I guess I’ll go bake something oat-y instead. Duncan will be so pleased.

Have a good one!

Cornish Hen Success!

Hi! I hope you had a fabulous weekend :).

A few days ago I mentioned that I was going to try to come up with something edible with a Cornish hen, and it happened! I popped it into the crock pot, covered it with a little of this and a little of that, and 6 hours later, Cornish deliciousness!

Thanks to the crock pot, the hen was perfectly juicy and tender and fell off the bones very easily. We had some rice and roasted carrots on the side. Lots of YUM. This dish will be a repeat around here for sure.

Crock Pot Cornish Hen ~ serves 2 (and a toddler)

Ingredients

• A Cornish Hen
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Fresh ground sea salt and pepper

Directions

1. Place hen in crock pot
2. Top with lemon juice, crushed garlic, sea salt and pepper
3. Cook on low for 6 hours
4. Remove from crock pot and remove meat from bones
5. Serve with your choice of sides

It really doesn’t get any easier than that! I also made some chocolate chip cookies over the weekend and they were GOOD. Like really, really good. I’ll tell you all about them on Wednesday.

And then there’s this guy.

Have a good one and I’ll see ya soon!!