Coconut Bar - easy, dairy free, quick and delicious!

Just found this simple recipe on Pinterest tonight and thought it sounded so good I'd throw it together before the kids went to bed and try it as a snack tonight! 

The recipe only includes 4 ingredients and if took me all of 5 minutes to make it! 

Popped it into the fridge for an hour and tried my first bite! Melted in my mouth and kept me going back for more! 

Plus, Hubby actually liked it too which is always a plus in my book! 

I used the enjoy life dark chocolate dairy free chunks! Which makes the recipe dairy free!! 

So here is the recipe! 

Chocolate Covered Coconut Bars

by Laureen King from ArtandtheKitchen

recipe adapted from Kasey's Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 mins    Set Time: 30 mins    Makes: 12 squares

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic coconut oil
• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup organic honey
• 12 ounces organic dark chocolate

 Directions:

1. Warm coconut oil just until it is liquified.
2. Add shredded coconut, and honey.
3. Combine well.
4. Line shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
5. Press mixture into baking pan, freeze or refrigerate until solid.
6. Melt chocolate and spread over coconut.
7. Cut into squares and keep refrigerated. 

Smoked salmon breakfast skillet

This breakfast was inspired by a few chucks of wild smoked salmon in my fridge. 

I pulled out the salmon first and from there I pulled out a bag of frozen leftover baby potatoes, an egg, heirloom tomato and avocado. And to top it off a little chipotle mayo! 

It was such a nice mix of fresh yet smokey! 

I may have to hit the grocery store for some more smoked salmon on the way home from baby group this afternoon!

Ingredients

50 Grams wild smoked Salmon

3/4 cup Left over baby potatoes

1 Egg

1 TBSP Milk

1/2 Heirloom Tomato Chopped

1/4 Cup Avocado sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chipotle Mayo

Directions

• In a medium sized frying pan, add the left over potatoes with a little olive oil to the pan and cook until warm.  
• While potato is cooking, wisk together the egg and milk. Move potato to the the side of the pan and add in egg mixture.  
• Scramble Egg until cooked, then mix with the potato and add in the smoked salmon and tomato.  
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Once everything is hot and cooked, remove from heat and plate.  
• Top with Sliced Avocado and a drizzle of Chipotle Mayo. 

Kid Kitchen Science

Today we did a couple experiments in the kitchen. 

The first one we did can be found here and it's called Milk Colour Explosion. 

It explains the why behind the coolness of the experiment. Asher wasn't really old enough to get the explanation when I was reading it out loud but the experiment was fun! 

What you need:

Drop of dish soap

Whole milk

Tray

Q-tips

Food colouring

First you will put the milk in the tray and add one drop of each colour to the milk. 

Then I had Asher dip the end of a Q-tip into the milk (in the centre). 

What happened? 

Next he dipped the other end of it into the dish of soap I had put out. He then dipped that into the milk. 

What happened this time? 

Then we added a drop of soap into the milk...

He thought it was pretty cool to see the colours swirling around! 

More experiments to come! 

Fitting it in even if baby won't sleep!

I got home from dropping the big one off at Preschool, but Baby Frasee was in such a good, happy, and AWAKE mood! That SO wasn't the plan!  He was supposed to fall asleep on the way home so I could work out, grab my shake and then head back to pick Asher up from school.  

Change of plans!  I got the video loaded up, changed clothes, put my workout shoes on, grabbed my water and then put him in his bouncy chair.  I then grabbed him a Mum Mum and a few toys and pushed play!  

He got a little fussy in the last 7 minutes but overall we made it work!  

My legs were sure shaking during round 3 and the bonus exercise was killer for the Booty!  But Autumn says "Shake now so you don't shake later" and that quote really sticks with me!  I think I may try to fit in the 10 minute ab workout later today if I can too!  I have yet to try that one.  

And guess what, after the workout I changed the poopy baby and then stuck him in the peanut shell (baby wearing sling) and he went right to sleep!  

Now for a little mommy time and my shake!

Healthy snacking

I needed a quick snack before taking Asher to Preschool today so that I would have enough on board to get through my workout I'll be doing while he is there!

The organic Cashews were calling but I know I'll eat WAY too many if I do t put a few in a small bowl! Gotta watch the portion control even with healthy food! 

So I stuck a handful in a small bowl and cut up a few organic local strawberries too! Such a simple but delicious snack. 

Now I just need to get some water in me and I'll be ready for the Lower fix! Love that workout on the 21 day fix! It has given me so much definition and shrunk my calves which I never thought would happen! 

Now I just hope baby boy will have a nap while Asher is at school so I can get a good focused workout in! 

Raspberries!

I can not wait until our raspberry bushes start producing! Especially our golden raspberries! So delicious. 

But for now, almost every Sunday we get a container of Organic Raspberries from the Root Cellar. It's only $1 more than non-organic and totally worth it in taste and health! 

Recent research on Organic raspberries shows that they are significantly higher in antioxidants than non-organic raspberries! 

I always soak my fruit in a sink full of water when I get it home, organic or not. And most times those raspberries are gone in no time.... Asher has a habit of helping him self to fresh fruit and veg in the fridge (not complaining) but if he gets his hands on my raspberries or blueberries, I know I better grab a few from him before they are gone! That kid can eat the whole container if I don't just put a few in a bowl! 

Lately I've been buying green grapes too which he LOVES! This trick seems to preserve my raspberries a few days longer which means I might actually get a few! 

Tip: Always keep your raspberries in the fridge as they are highly perishable and mold quickly at room temperature! 

1 cup of fresh raspberries contains

64 calories
GI: Low

Nutrient               DRI/DV
Vitamin C              42.9%
Maganese              41%
Fiber                      31.9%
copper                   12.2%
Vitamin K             10.6%
pantothenic acid    8%
biotin                     7.8%
vitamin E               7.1%
Magnesium            6.7%
Folate                     6.4%
omega-3 fats          6.2%
Potassium               5.3%

Himalayan sea salt

Minerals, including salt, are essential to life. We can’t live without them. Sadly, today’s common table salt (sodium chloride), found in most homes and restaurants and in all processed foods, contains none of the trace minerals that make salt good for us.

Himalayan salt, which can be found in Tropical Strawberry Shakeology®, contains pure crystal salt that is minimally processed and contains up to 84 natural minerals and elements. These elements promote stable pH, aid with the absorption of food particles through the digestive tract, regulate water content through the body, prevent muscle cramps, and help support cellular function.

So, how can you use Himalayan salt in your diet?

It’s easy! You can always drink Tropical Strawberry Shakeology but if that’s not your chosen flavor, fear not—I recommend substituting the current salt you’re using for Himalayan anyways! It tastes similar and is WAY better for you. That part is a no-brainer, but another insider tip that Darin and Isabel (creators of Shakeology) have been doing for years and that lends to the amazing results people have gotten from the Ultimate Reset™ is adding Himalayan salt to distilled water for extra hydration.

Hydration is a huge part of the health equation, and drinking distilled water is the best way to hydrate your body. Distilled water is the purest water available; unlike tap, filtered, or bottled water, distilled water is stripped of everything except for its oxygen and hydrogen molecules. In order to get the minerals you need, Darin and Isabel recommend you add a pinch of Himalayan salt to your distilled water to supply you with the essential minerals and electrolytes your body needs for optimum health.

Recipe: Add half a teaspoon of Himalayan salt per gallon of distilled water, or a pinch (0.8 grams) to each 12 to 32 oz. glass of distilled water.

What water to drink:

• First choice: distilled water with Himalayan salt added.
• Second choice: tap water filtered through a reliable reverse osmosis or carbon filtration system, not a pitcher filtration unit.
• Last choice: bottled water, preferably smartwater® or Penta®. (Bottled water comes last because most of it isn’t better than tap water.)

Where to find Himalayan salt: Trader Joe’s®, whole foods, root cellar, market on Yates or market on millstream. 

Happy hydrating!

Chicken basil broccoli casserole

 After camping all weekend we didn't have a lot of groceries in the fridge and I planned on going tomorrow instead of rushing out to the root cellar this afternoon. So I took stock of what I had in the freezer first.  Chicken or Beef?  I decided on some stir fry chicken from the freezer and brought it out to defrost for a few hours.  Then I had to decide what I was going to do with the Chicken. I considered making chicken fried rice but then I realized that I had two bags of broccoli cut up that needed to be used up so this Chicken Basil Broccoli casserole was born.  

For more flavour I decided to cook my rice in homemade chicken stock out of the freezer.  So I grabbed out two jars and defrosted them in a sink full of warm water.  Then I added into my rice cooker:

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 tsp basil

1 tbsp butter or dairy free butter

2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water

Cook in rice cooker with chicken stock or half chicken stock half water, butter and basil. 

Then I moved onto making the Dairy free chicken soup base for the dish.

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, sliced

1tsp olive oil

1/2 pound chicken, cubed

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup almond milk

Pepper to taste

2 cups broccoli florets 

While rice is cooking, brown garlic and onion in large pan, once browned add in chicken and cook through. Sprinkle sea salt and flour into pan, mix into chicken mixture. Pour chicken stock and almond milk down over the floured chicken and stir until bubbly and thick. Add in more flour and chicken stock to reach desired consistency. Season as you like at this stage. 

Next add in the broccoli and just slightly cook. Then add in your rice mixing until covered with sauce.

Put mixture into casserole dish. Top with dollops of Sour cream, Greek yogurt or dairy free sour cream. Parmesan or vegan Parmesan and 1/4 cup white cheddar or lactose free cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes then broil until the top is brown.

One great thing about this dish is you could make it the night before and pull it out of the fridge to bake for dinner the next night!  When I was working I quite often made our dinners the night before and it worked so well!  Give this one a try one night and let me know how it went!

I know Gord isn't a huge fan of anything with the word casserole in the title which is why I hardly make dishes like these even tho I enjoy them.  But low and behold he actually took a second helping! My man has sure come a long way, when I met him he didn't even like anything RICE!

Unfortunately Asher was dog tired from a big camping weekend and had only a few bites, he chose going to bed over finishing his dinner and is now in bed and has been there since 5:30pm.  I hope it's not just a nap.....

We had a wonderful weekend camping but we are happy to be back home!

Have a great week everyone!

Camping Trip!!

We are heading out on our first camping of the year!

Instead of shopping for marshmallows, hot dogs and candy!  We stocked up on Nuts, dried fruit and of course brought along our shakes.  But I also made a few standard mixes for our trailer.

The first mix I made is my taco seasoning!  I can't buy or use that packaged stuff and making a batch is a breeze.

Taco seasoning recipe

1/2 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup cumin
1 TBSP Garlic powder
1 TBSP paprika
1TBSP sea salt

At home I always have the recipe for it taped to the outside of the jar so making another batch is super quick and easy!

The next mix I made to keep in the trailer is my pancake mix.  It's too easy!

I just mix the flour and the baking powder together in the jar and then on a label I write what amounts of what need to go into it for one cup of mix.  This is what we do at home as well... and for some reason even though it's just mixing the flour and the baking powder together it makes it so much easier to have it mixed and ready to go.  Probably because we don't have to pull out the recipe book to make it since the instructions are taped to the outside of the container!

Recipe for our Best Ever Homemade Pancakes and Waffles

2 cups Whole Wheat flour
1 1/2 TBSP Baking powder

2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
2 tsp vanilla


I will admit we did purchase a few dairy free dark chocolate bars and a bag of Avacado oil potato chips since I'm sure there will be some snacking around the campfire going on.  But both of these treats are healthy options compared to the typical Ruffles and Reece cups in the chip and junk isle!

Wish us sunny weather!

Diary, Gluten Free Chickpea cookies

I really had the need to bake today.... it relaxes me.  But I didn't want something super unhealthy.  I was roaming on pinterest this afternoon and came across a recipe for Chickpea cookies.  I did a search and found a ton of different recipes for Chickpea chocolate chip cookies.

This is what I came up with...

Chickpea Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie bars!

Ingredients

1 small can or 3/4 of a large can of Chickpeas
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup enjoy life dairy free mini chocolate chips

Directions

Put all the ingredients except the chocolate chips into the food processor.  Mix until smooth. 

Grease 8x8 inch baking pan.  Stir in chocolate chips and Spoon batter evenly into baking dish.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Careful not to over cook but insert a knife into the centre to ensure it is cooked.  I threw mine back into the over after 25 minutes because they weren't quite done.

Let cool 20-30 minutes before cutting into it.

I tasted the batter a few times,  and the first time I tested it, it was pretty chickpea-ish so I added in a bit more peanut butter and maple syrup.  Mixed it up again and the second test was a success.  I took the food processor off and mixed in the chips by hand. 

Asher was so eager to try them, but they HAD to cool.  It was a long wait!  But it was well worth it because he absolutely loved them and so did I!  We both ate more than we should have and when Daddy got home so did he.  Gord couldn't believe there were chickpeas in it!  Everyone in this house loved this one! 

This is what's left.... Oops!

Not entirely guilt free...mostly because we had more than one bar but all Real and Good food so I'm happy!

Give it a try and let me know what your family thinks.  I'd love to hear what you, your kids or your husband thought.

New exciting program on the horizon!

PIYO.... 

Pilates
Yoga
Cardio
Strength
and Flexibility 

All rolled in to one beautiful package 
NEW NEW NEW!!! ...and coming out this summer!



Want more info?? Click the link below to be the FIRST to hear when this AMAZING new program will be available! YOU COULD WIN A FREE PIYO KIT!!

http://www.teambeachbody.com/promotions/piyo-email-collector?referringRepID=195654

Chalene Johnson took the best Pilates and Yoga-inspired moves and cranked up the speed to give you full throttle cardio, strength, and flexibility training—all at once. PiYo packs it ALL into each workout so you can build lean muscle mass—as you're burning crazy calories.

"PiYo gives you hardcore definition, intense calorie burn, and allover strength—without weights, without jumps, and without destroying your body."

—Chalene Johnson, creator of PiYo

St. Patricks Day Craft

Just a little craft this morning with the big guy! 

Asher just loves doing crafts! And our special Leprachan even brought him 5 gold coins for him to use on his project!

Banana smoothie for Weight gain

Back In October Asher got really sick and lost a couple precious pounds. He is already a light weight so we knew we needed to do something to get the weight back on him. 

At the time we bought a package of extra calorie Boost, I know yuck! But at that time we needed to add calories to his diet and that was the easiest way! And it worked. I avoided looking at the ingredients list... 

Then I did a little research on how to help kids gain weight and I learned that flaxseed oil was great to add to almost  anything because it is flavourless and adds a good fat. I started adding it to his pasta, drinks you name it and it worked! 

Lately Asher has been maintaining his weight but we would like to see him gain a bit more since he is still a light weight, probably due to a relatively healthy diet with little junk food or sugar. Which is a good thing, but he is very lean! 

He loves smoothies and always wants one when Gord and I drink our Shakeology, so I made a super simple smoothie for him this week a couple times. Banana, whole milk and about a Table Spoon of Flaxseed oil. 

Might look gross with the oil on top but he LOVES it and it mixes in well! 

And guess what! He gained a pound this week! Love that! 

Out with that nasty Boost and in with the Banana Smoothie for snack time!

Homemade Peanut Butter

Yes! I make my own peanut butter! And you know what, it's better than any store bought stuff out there! I have tried so many different types and none compare.  It could be the Himalayan sea salt but it might just be that it's fresh and made just the way we like it.  

What I love is that I actually know what's in it and it's really kind of fun to make! 

Just a little Himalayan sea salt, peanuts and a bit of olive oil if needed. 

My old food processor required the use of olive oil to keep things moving as it just wasn't as powerful as my new Ninja food processor is.  Now I can make a batch and not have to add a drop of oil, however my hubby said he likes the consistency of it which a bit of olive oil so I've gone back to my tablespoon or so of organic olive oil. 

The recipe is pretty loose for this as I just use as many peanuts as my food processor will hold going about 3/4 full.  

Instructions

Throw the peanuts into the food processor (about 1/2 - 3/4 full) sprinkle in about 1 tsp of sea salt. Then lid and go! 

Drizzle in a bit of olive oil right away to keep things moving in there if your machine isn't all that powerful. You may still have to stop a few times and give it a stir to get it all moving along the way. But after just a few minutes it should start to come together and the voila! Best peanut butter ever! 

I might be addicted to it because it seems that every Sunday I'm making another big batch.... recently my little kitchen aid food processor broke, the tab on the lid that locks it in broke off (pretty sure it was at the fault of my 2 year old) so it wouldn't turn on.  Very sad day!  This was in October and I didn't want to purchase a cheap one so I asked for a better one for Christmas but it was a long wait and we went back to getting Adams peanut butter which is good but just not the same!  I'm happy to announce the arrival of our new Ninja food processor/blender Christmas 2015!  I'm in love with it and it's making awesome peanut butter so far.  

Happy nut butter making!

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

I can not wait until our Rhubarb is ready!!!  I was out in the garden the other day and noticed the first signs of leaves popping up!!  This recipe is pretty popular in our house during rhubarb season and I always freeze some for the winter but this year we didn't seem to have anywhere near enough! I often have to make a double batch of this muffin recipe for our weekday breakfasts because when they come out of the oven it would seem that about half of them disappear before they are able to cool down!

Rhubarb and strawberries are both in season by the end of April.... and Rhubarb is still in season until well August... September maybe!  I'm updating this post which I made when I first started the blog and it's the end of August right now I just picked a bunch of rhubarb and made this recipe so I figured I'd edit it a bit.  When I first wrote this post it was in April and Rhubarb was just starting to creep into season.  

I love this recipe for a quick breakfast the next morning, the trouble is not eating them all before you go to bed!  I made a batch and I'm resisting taking a second one after testing one out!  They might be my favourite muffin recipe as I just love the sweet and sour as well as that almond flavour!  Mmmmm....

Whole Wheat Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk or almond milk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp real almond extract
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb and strawberries
Top with almonds (optional)

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together in small bowl. Mix wet ingredients together in another bowl. Mix fruit into dry mixture then add wet mixture, stir to combine but don't over stir.

Line pan with 12 muffin papers or silicon cups and bake for about 15 minutes or golden brown! I usually go by when I can start to smell the almond scent in the house, then they are ready!

Developing Healthy emotional Eating habits in Kids!

This article "Top 10 reasons to bring your kids to the farmers market", reminds of our trips to the Market and what a fun and positive experience it was for us as a family. 

In the photo above, Asher (2 1/2) had selected his own red pepper from one of the booths and began eating it before we had even paid! 

--------
Reason #1 on the list is: Develop Healthy Emotional Eating Habits

One of the biggest myths about emotional eating is that it's prompted by negative feelings. Yes, people often turn to food when they're stressed out, lonely, sad, anxious, or bored.

But emotional eating can be linked to positive feelings too! It's no accident that McDonald's named their kids deal a "Happy Meal"! They do this to form a lifelong emotional bond between being happy and eating at McD's, and it works!

You can beat the fast food marketing guru's at their own game. Simply swap out the fast food and replace it with a fun day at the Farmers Market! Do this on a regular basis and your kids will start to equate healthy real food with those happy family days at the market.

Last year I took both boys to the farmers market and Asher got to use his own money to purchase whatever he wanted (usually a cheese stick from the baker there).
--------

If you think about it, many happy occasions in our lives have a strong link to food, usually unhealthy overprocessed food. Consider camping for example, we typically allow our children to have "camping food" which includes, hot dogs, marshmallows, sugar cereal etc. But does this really make our family camping trip MORE fun?

Last year on our camping trips, we strived to eat REAL FOOD on each trip, and you know what, we had a blast! Real food tastes great and makes your body feel great too! It's not about not enjoying food, or depriving the kids of treats, because there are so many real unprocessed treats we did enjoy on our camping trips. Asher isn't deprived, if anything he is lucky that we care enough to spend the thought and  We just chose to eat the way we normally do at home rather then associate our family fun with Junk food.

What are your thoughts?

Veggie enchiladas with avocado cream sauce

It's been a long time since I made this recipe for dinner but when Gord sat down to the table tonight he said "mmmm my favourite" I was surprised! No shocked!

Why? 

Well because my meat and potatoes man just named a vegetarian dish a favourite! 

It is pretty tasty but I kind of thought of it as one of those dishes I loved and everyone else tolerated! I guess not! 

The original recipe came from here. 

I leave out the peppers but everything else is basically the same! 

I do find it makes more filling than we need but it's great to use the next day too! 

This is what I did with what I had on hand:

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups sweet potato, chopped
• 2 handfuls spinach, chopped
• 1 can black beans (~2 cups), drained and rinsed
• Enchilada sauce  - Recipe Below
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 4 whole grain tortilla wraps (I used Food for Life Ezekiel)
• Avocado Cream Sauce, to pour on top (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grab a baking dish large enough for 4 enchiladas. Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato, by steaming it for about 5-10 minutes until just tender. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and bring to medium to low heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Add in garlic and reduce heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Now add the pre-cooked sweet potato, drained black beans, and chopped spinach. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes on medium-low heat.

3. Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in the nutritional yeast (optional), Stir well. I don't add in the extra seasonings that the original recipe lists because the enchilada sauce contains it all plus!

4.  Scoop about 1/2-3/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and wrap, placing the fold down on the casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining 3 tortillas and leave a bit of filling left to spread over the top. Cover with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese if preferred.

5. Bake tortillas at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make your Avocado cream sauce (see below). When enchiladas are cooked, remove from oven and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 enchiladas.

Avocado cream sauce 

1 avocado

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup water

In food processor blend avocado and spices until smooth, when mostly chopped up add in water to make into a thick sauce! 

Adding in cilantro to this sauce is amazing, but I didn't happen to have any on hand tonight!  

Enchilada Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour until well combined, about 1 minute.
• Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Give it a try and let me know what you thought!